Arin stepped inside and closed the door behind him. The room was quiet. He placed the small pack aside and sat in front of the terminal.
For a moment, a few memories surfaced. They were still unclear, but enough to understand certain things. His parents, the treatments, and the condition of this body. From those fragments, he understood a little about cultivation, but not enough.
The feeling passed quickly.
He had already made his decision, but before moving forward, he needed to understand both paths properly.
He activated the terminal and began searching.
Two options appeared.
Enhancer serum.
Cultivation.
He opened the first one.
Serum injection increased physical strength to several times that of a normal person. Some variants offered specific advantages or higher output. The body remained stable, and lifespan could reach between 80 and 120 years depending on compatibility.
He checked further details.
Even with the information, the meaning was clear.
If he chose this path, his life would become stable. With the 40,000 stellar credits he had, he wouldn't need to worry about survival anymore. He could live simply, without pressure, without risk.
It was safe. Reliable. A complete life within reach.
But it wouldn't change anything.
In this world, strength decided everything.
Arin closed the panel.
This wasn't the path he wanted.
He opened the second option.
Cultivation.
The details were brief. When he tried to check further, a restriction message appeared again.
The main requirements were simple. A stable core, resources, and techniques to guide the process.
Inner Semi core
It was a special organ that people were born with, located near the center of the body. It gathered, stored, and processed energy. It was connected to the neural system, allowing the brain to control and direct that energy through thought.
It was the foundation of cultivation.
It was an organ humans had developed over the past few thousand years, something that had gradually become part of the body itself.
He continued reading.
From birth, the core developed slowly within the body, usually taking 8 years. After that, it began absorbing energy and linking with the body through neural pathways.
When this process was complete, it was called stabilization.
Most people needed 1–4 more years to reach that stage, placing them between ages 8–12.
The time it took decided everything.
If it stabilized within 1–2 years, it was considered genius.
2–3 years meant talent.
3–4 years was normal.
Arin read it again.
He understood what that meant.
He was already past 13.
His core was still not stabilized.
The gap wasn't small.
Others had already begun.
He was only starting now.
He looked further down.
There was one more line.
After the age of 12, core stabilizing efficiency dropped sharply. Progress slowed, and future potential decreased.
Classification—
Trash.
Arin's eyes stopped on that word.
His fingers tightened slightly.
A faint tension rose in his chest.
He didn't move for a moment.
So this was how it was seen.
Then he would see it differently.
He leaned back, letting his thoughts settle. From what he could tell, he was around 1.5 years behind. Not impossible.
If he pushed hard enough, he could still catch up.
But they wouldn't stop either.
But the information wasn't complete.
There were still too many missing parts.
Resources. Techniques. Limits.
Arin looked at the terminal for a moment.
If his parents were still alive, they would have explained all of this to him.
The thought passed quickly.
Then another came.
If the system couldn't answer it, someone else could.
A memory surfaced.
Instructor Halen.
At the academy, Halen was seated at his desk, going through a stack of records. A few documents were open in front of him as he made notes, checking and writing at a steady pace.
His terminal rang.
He glanced at it.
Arin Solis.
He paused for a moment, then accepted the call.
"Arin?"
"Hello, instructor," Arin said.
Halen leaned back slightly.
"How's your body now?"
"It's stable," Arin replied. "It needs about two more days to fully settle."
"That's good," Halen said. "Then the treatment worked properly."
He paused briefly.
"What about things at home?"
"I can manage," Arin said. "No problem."
Halen gave a small nod.
"Do you need any help?"
There was a short pause.
"I wanted to ask something," Arin said. "About cultivation."
Halen's expression shifted slightly.
"What about it?"
"I've been looking into it," Arin said. "But the information I have is limited."
He paused.
"I want to understand it better before I decide."