"Humanity was born to inherit the stars!"
The collective shout of the gathered cadets woke Michael from his daze.
"I managed to go back?" Michael mumbled, slowly getting accustomed to the feeling of his young body.
Without any hesitation, he checked the date.
1 October 4026.
'It looks like I am not dreaming. I really managed to go back in time. Sadly I don't have the time to reminisce about the past since the base is going to be obliterated in a week.'
As the thought crossed his mind, a window appeared before him.
[Quest: Protect Triton]
[Difficulty: Insane]
[Task: The last moon still under humanity's control near Neptune is about to be attacked in a week's time. Stop the alien invasion from destroying the bases and ensure Triton's safety!]
[Reward: Legendary cybernetic, 500 Skill Points]
'Thankfully the system works as intended.' Michael sighed in relief before inspecting his current stats.
Name: Michael
Soul Realm: Middle Apprentice
Cybernetics: Indomitable System
• Strength: 15
• Agility: 10
• Stamina: 10
• Spirit: 2000
• Mind: 1000
Skill Points: 0
'It seems that a part of my spirit and mind has remained despite going back in time. Even if this is just a small part of my original power, it should put me at the top among my peers.'
While he was still analyzing the best course of action, the voice of a beautiful woman wearing the uniform of a high-ranking military official caught his attention.
"I am Victoria, the highest-standing general stationed at Base #85 located on Triton's surface. I welcome all those of age who have decided to play a part in humanity's battle. No matter if you are here for money or honor, you have earned my respect! Since this is your first day, I will go easy on you. For the remainder of the day, you are permitted to take a breather. From tomorrow your training for Neptune recapture begins!"
"Glory to Mankind!" The cadets saluted in absolute respect.
"Glory to Mankind!" Victoria exclaimed before stepping off stage.
The moment she was out of sight, a great weight was lifted off the cadets' shoulders, causing them to engage in a chat.
"Gods, did you see her? I thought all higher-ups working for the government were old and bitter, but she was smoking hot!"
"Ah, how I wish I was brought into a prestigious family, maybe then I would have a chance with her!"
"Gross! Don't you boys have anything else in your dirty minds?"
"We are going to be risking our lives soon! Can't you just let us have a bit of fun?"
Michael didn't pay attention to the chatter, immediately springing into action.
'The base that is meant to train the new recruits will be hit the hardest in the invasion... Quite the bad luck on our part. The inexperienced cadets will have no chance against the thousands of aliens that are about to sneak up on us.' He thought bitterly.
Originally the only reason he had managed to survive the massive attack was due to sheer luck.
'Sadly few will share my luck… The invasion will cost us more than half of Triton's surface area and 12 million human casualties, making the recapture of Neptune a pipe dream.'
His fists tightened in resolve. 'I will be damned if I let history repeat itself!'
Instantly he used the device strap on his wrist to send a message to a certain person.
'Only a select few know this contact, so even if my warning sounds absurd, she will have no choice but to investigate it.'
Once that was done, he went to gain a suitable technique he would need in the future.
"Hello, I'd like to claim the one free technique that's available to all new recruits."
Hearing the voice of a man, the petite woman with a nametag "Ava" raised her head to look at him, only to realize that she had to tilt her head all the way to see Michael's full 190-centimeter stature.
"You want a technique on the first day? That isn't a wise choice, you haven't tested all available weapons and figured out what works best for you, not to mention your soul is probably still too weak…" She advised him.
He smiled warmly. "Don't worry, I know what I am doing."
Ava couldn't help but blush slightly seeing his warm and innocent smile.
"Seeing you so eager, you leave me with no choice." She sighed. "But before that we have to test your spirit to know if you are suitable for any technique."
Michael nodded simply and approached a small white sphere and put his hand on it.
"To pass the minimal requirements, the sphere has to turn into at least dark green. If you manage to reach light yellow, consider yourself—"
Before Ava could finish, the white globe shifted colors, turning into green, yellow, red, only to stop at black, causing large cracks to appear.
Boom!
The next second the sphere exploded into a violet burst.
"Heavens…" Ava looked at the broken sphere in a daze, her eyes wide as sausages. A moment later she raised her gaze toward Michael.
"So did I pass?" He asked with the same warm smile on his face.
Meanwhile, at the general's room.
"10,000 new recruits. More than last time." Victoria sighed, leaning back in her chair.
"Having so many people rely on you is draining. I can only imagine how my grandfather feels…"
"Don't underestimate yourself, Lady Victoria! You are the most hardworking woman I have ever seen in my life. I am sure you will be promoted to be in charge of the whole Triton with time!" Her assistant, Oliver, exclaimed.
Before she was able to respond, her communication device lit up, bringing her full attention to it.
'Someone has contacted me using the upper channels? It must be an emergency.' She thought, beginning to read the message.
A frown appeared on her peerless face, slowly deepening the more she read.
"This is…"