Pain!
It was as if a billion red-hot steel needles were piercing his brain simultaneously. Jasper shot up from his desk. His chest heaved violently, his ragged gasps sounding exceptionally harsh in the silent classroom.
"I... Where am I?"
He looked around in a daze. The classroom was familiar, the classmates were familiar, yet everything felt alien to the bone. Outside the window, on a massive floating screen, a news broadcast showed a hero in battle armor clashing fiercely with a roaring behemoth, the flashes of their blades threatening to tear the world apart.
"Gods! It's 'Blaze' Bjorn Ironside! He's already a Sequence 6 'Arsonist,' isn't he? So strong!"
"Sequence 6? I heard he's about to advance to Sequence 5 and become a true demigod-level powerhouse!"
The whispers of the surrounding students were filled with unfamiliar terms like "Sequence," "Pathway," and "Extraordinary One."
Just as his worldview was collapsing, a cold, mechanical voice exploded in his mind.
[Ding! Host's soul fluctuation detected... Analysis complete. Congratulations, Host. You have embarked on the 'Shepherd' Pathway. Current Sequence: 9, 'Beast Tamer'!]
At the front of the class, the teacher, Sarah, struck the blackboard heavily with her pointer. "Quiet! There are only thirty days left until the 'Extraordinary Qualification Exam'! This year's challenge is for all candidates to successfully traverse the 'Land of Jackals' on foot, accompanied by their own contract beast! Those who fail will forever lose the chance to advance!"
A harsh sneer came from the back row. The class ace, Ryan, a young man who was already a Sequence 9 'Soldier' on the 'Warrior' Pathway, crossed his arms and looked down at Jasper as if he were an idiot.
"Traverse the Land of Jackals? Jasper, are you planning to take that sewer rat of yours? Don't make me laugh! What can it do? Serve as an appetizer for the jackals in the dens?"
"Hahaha!"
A wave of roaring laughter washed over him.
Jasper didn't retort. He just subconsciously reached into his pocket, his fingertips touching something small, warm, and furry. The little thing seemed to sense its master's unease and nuzzled his finger with its tiny nose.
That was Jojo, the most ordinary of Magic Mice, which Jasper had rescued from the sewers. It was small, weak, and had no extraordinary abilities besides squeaking "jojo."
It was Jasper's only companion.
After school, Jasper dragged his exhausted body back to the small, less-than-thirty-square-meter hut in the urban village. His younger sister Emma's small figure was busy in the kitchen, heating up leftovers for him.
His heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a giant, invisible hand.
Just then, the system interface popped up in his mind again.
[Warning: Core function locked! System activation requires a core spiritual catalyst: 『Heart of the Spirit Realm』 x1. This item will provide the necessary initial spiritual foundation for your unique Pathway.]
Jasper returned to his tiny room and eagerly connected to the public network with his old phone, searching for "Heart of the Spirit Realm."
The first search result was from the official website of the "House of Mysteries," the largest extraordinary materials store in Yangcheng. The product image showed a fist-sized, deep blue crystal that seemed to hold the stars within it.
But on the price tag, the string of numbers was like a heavy hammer, shattering all his fantasies.
Price: $10,000 .