My daily life in various anime crossovers can't possibly be this sci-fi.

The man was nearly two meters tall, with an incredibly robust physique. His oversized white lab coat looked like a tight-fitting garment on him. Although he was the only one who rushed into the classroom, the sound of his footsteps carried the imposing force of a military parade. He stood behind the podium, gazing at the students below with icy eyes, like a colossus forged from steel.

His gaze was undeniably cold, and he couldn't help but resemble a steel behemoth, as his body was essentially a machine composed of 56% of some kind of alloy, 23% of nanocomposite materials, and dozens of other miscellaneous industrial materials.

Ironically, to the left of its fierce, steely face, on its imposing shoulder covered by a white coat, sat a pet monkey with glossy fur. The monkey wore a life-sized white coat, vividly illustrating the meaning of the idiom "a monkey wearing a crown."

"Ahem, students, your esteemed homeroom teacher, Comrade Klev..." Incredibly, it wasn't the Steel Giant who spoke, but the pet monkey perched on his shoulder. The monkey's voice sounded like that of a flippant young man in his early twenties, glib and smooth-talking, like the kind of villainous thug often found in urban web novels: "...He's taken a month's leave to deal with some very troublesome matters. During this time, I, Dr. Jack Briet, will be your homeroom teacher. Oh, by the way, before we begin our formal exchange, I have something very important to announce first."

Those familiar with Dr. Briet know that the relationship between the pet monkey and the Iron Giant is actually the exact opposite: the pet monkey is the real Dr. Jack Briet, while the Iron Giant is the "pet".

It's said that Dr. Breit was once a researcher at a certain site who, while working on a CTM (Containment Item) level project, accidentally swapped bodies with a monkey. Since such a counterintuitive thing could happen, the minor question of how the monkey's brain could support the doctor's consciousness and keep it functioning normally doesn't need to be investigated too deeply.

Dr. Brett scratched his head with his paw, and a device resembling a miniature headset on the monkey's head emitted a faint flash. The robot then turned around and began writing on the blackboard.

Compared to Dr. Klev's meticulous, almost obsessive, handwriting, Dr. Breit's handwriting gave the impression of someone who hadn't received much formal education. At that moment, the meaning of what he wrote on the blackboard was as follows:

"2018 Winter Training Camp Plan".

The classroom erupted in chaos, filled with constant whispers.

As a regular SCIC student, Jiang Jinghua knew exactly what this so-called training camp was. This unassuming camp was held quarterly, and selected students underwent two months of "special training." Students who received this special training had their academic rankings within the college calculated separately from those of regular students, because their exam papers were completely different.

The school once held an event where the top 50 students from the regular student body were selected to complete a test for the training camp students. However, the highest-scoring student among these 50 only ranked slightly below average on the training camp's internal leaderboard.

All students who have received training at the intensive camp can no longer be measured by the standards of "high school students".

It sounds like this so-called training camp is an "experimental class" within the school used to cultivate super geniuses?

But that's not the case. The training camp has always used only one criterion for selecting students:

There are no standards; it's completely random.

Whether you are first in your grade or last in your class, as long as you are a normal SCIC student, you have a chance of being selected, and your chance of being selected is exactly the same as anyone else's.

“Hmm, I think you’ve all heard of the ‘Training Camp’ by now, right?” Briette tapped the blackboard. “Before we start our morning self-study… oh, sorry, I forgot that half of the morning self-study is already over. Anyway, the first thing we need to announce is the list of students from our class who have been selected to be members of the Training Camp.”

Then, the giant robot beneath Briette "cleared its throat" (or rather, played a throat-clearing sound effect) and began to read out one name after another.

The students whose names were called all wore complex expressions of mixed feelings, and the eyes that looked at them were often a mixture of envy and sympathy.

To Jiang Jinghua's surprise, Kato Megumi, who had always been inconspicuous, was also among those selected.

“…Then, the last one.” Briette didn’t let the robot finish reading the list, but cleared her throat herself, preparing to speak.

"Jiang Jinghua, you are the last member selected for the training camp."

"Also, could you please come to my office after the second class?"

what

Section 73, Chapter 73: Those Favored by the Will of the World

After the second class ended.

Since Kato Megumi was not among those invited to the office, Jiang Jinghua entered Dr. Briet's office alone.

Compared to Dr. Klev's elegant, royal-palace-like office, Briette's office was clearly the other extreme. The interior was utterly devoid of any decorative style; all sorts of miscellaneous items were carelessly placed along the walls like trash, while Dr. Briette's enormous frame sat upright in the center of the office behind a cheap-looking plastic table.

“Oh, welcome, buddy.” Briette held a wafer wrapped in aluminum foil in her hand. “Don’t be shy, find a place to sit.”

Jiang Jinghua looked at the messy surroundings and muttered to himself as he grabbed a stool and put it on the table.

"May I ask what brings you here?" Jiang Jinghua sat up straight on the stool.

“Oh, look at you!” Briette laughed. “No need to put on such a stiff act. Just look at all this stuff around you, and you'll know what kind of person I am. I called you here because I figured you must have a ton of questions to ask. Whether it’s about the training camp…”

As Briette spoke, she used a small switch on the table to dim the office lights and automatically darkened the glass by the window.

"...It's still about some 'special personal issues' of yours, Mr. Transmigrator."

Has the fact that I am a time traveler become common knowledge within the Foundation?

"Alright then, I'll just ask directly." Jiang Jinghua nodded. "First of all, what exactly are the criteria the school uses to recruit trainees? It can't really be a random selection, can it?"

“Ha! Just kidding, how could it be a random selection?” Briette’s monkey-like voice let out a high-pitched laugh. “The students recruited by the training camp system are generally divided into two categories: one of them is the so-called ‘Children of Destiny’.”

"...Excuse me, what did you say?"

The chosen one?

“That’s right, the chosen ones.” Briette took a bite of her wafer. “It’s the official term used in the scientific community to refer to people who have ‘extraordinary luck.’ If you, Jiang, are interested in popular consumer fiction, you should know that the protagonists of these stories generally share many common characteristics. Based on these characteristics, we’ve divided them into three categories.”

"Some of these people often suffer from adversity or discrimination from a young age, but they have an extremely strong tolerance for setbacks and pain, and... forgive me for having to use this overused term, 'monster-like' talent. Those who spend almost their entire lives cultivating, becoming stronger, and showing off and slapping others in the face are the first type of chosen ones: 'classical chosen ones'."

"However, unlike those who believe in the possession of power, there is another type of chosen one who relies mostly on the power of others. In this strange country we currently live in, there are countless ordinary high school students. Among them, the particularly fortunate ones will encounter a life-changing event one day in their otherwise mundane daily lives. They will then connect with countless terrifying super beings in the multiverse and gradually embark on the path of becoming stronger. However, unlike the classic chosen ones, they don't have much of a desire for power and strength... On the contrary, they prefer to spend their time on all sorts of girls. No matter how many world-ending disasters they encounter, the rhythm of life for this type of chosen one will always converge on the insurmountable red line of 'harem slice-of-life,' hence, they are the so-called 'steady-state chosen ones.'"

This kind of person... I guess you're talking about the male protagonist in light novels or otaku literature.

"At the same time, among the chosen ones, there is another group that poses the most serious threat to us." Briet's dark, monkey-like eyes gradually sharpened. "Before being chosen by destiny, these people were just ordinary citizens. However, once their destiny's 'golden finger' begins to take effect, whether it's the so-called system or the so-called reincarnation space, they will rapidly rise to become a terrifying force capable of rivaling established nations in a very short time."

"These beings, known as 'mutant chosen ones,' often possess a perverse egocentricity, making cooperation with them generally a pipe dream. With very few exceptions, the Foundation's approach to these chosen ones is: immediate elimination, with no appeals allowed."

"...So, I was chosen because I'm the chosen one?" Jiang Jinghua asked. "What type am I? Steady? Or classical?"

“No, none of those. You’re too hasty.” Briette finished her wafer. “Besides the chosen ones, there’s another group of people who will be selected. These people are what we call… top secret.”

Jiang Jinghua stared at Briette with a look that seemed to say, "Are you fucking kidding me?", but the latter showed no intention of changing her mind.

"Anyway, you were chosen for a reason I have no right to reveal." Briette shrugged and jumped off the robot's shoulder. "Why are there so many 'whys' in this world? Forget about things you shouldn't know and don't need to know. Instead of wasting your time, you should think about meaningful questions like, 'Is waking up from a deep sleep considered awakening or resurrection, and is the person you are after waking up still the same person you were before?'"

That question doesn't seem to make any sense...

"Then, the second question," Jiang Jinghua asked, "what is the purpose of establishing this training camp?"

“There are two reasons as well,” Briette said. “One is to win over those chosen ones, and the other… is top secret. Ah, don’t rush to insult my mother, I was just joking. The second reason is that the Foundation is short-staffed.”

"Not enough manpower?"

"The multiverse is so vast that the Foundation has never actually had enough people. Therefore, the training camp selects a group of students every quarter to participate in intensive training, allowing them to grow into warriors capable of standing on their own in a very short period of time."

Jiang Jinghua fell silent for a while.

“Of course, not all trainees will be deployed to the battlefield. Your experience and abilities are, after all, not comparable to those of regular university graduates; at best, you'll serve as reserves,” Briette said. “So your daily life won't be affected much. In fact, during the two months of training, you'll have just as much free time as you do now.”

"However, you should know, Jiang, forcing growth... comes at a price. While it's unlikely to result in a situation like in some fantasy novels where 'an unstable foundation leads to a significant reduction in potential,' the training process itself..."

A bead of cold sweat appeared on Jiang Jinghua's forehead.

Now he understood why his classmates had looked at him with pity...

what

Section 74, Chapter Seventy-Four: Underground Facilities

“The third question,” Jiang Jinghua said, “my memory…”

"I can say very little about this. All you need to know is that the content of the memory information detected from your 'soul' is very strange. To put it another way, it's like it's been 'encrypted.' However, this 'encryption' mechanism is in a very slow automatic decryption state. That's why you have those strange dreams. Those strange dreams are a side effect of the automatic decryption of your memories under the influence of the magic of the Sea of ​​Miracles."

Jiang Jinghua tried to recall those fragmented memories, hoping to find something from them, but to no avail.

"As for the specific content of the memories and their meaning, those are top secrets, and I have no right to reveal them." Briette shrugged and jumped back onto the robot's shoulder. "Anyway, my personal advice is that you forget about all this nonsense for now and enjoy the next two months... I guarantee that these two months will leave you with a very 'deep' impression."

Jiang Jinghua left the office amidst Dr. Breeter's smirk.

"Hey, Jinghua-kun, what did you talk about with the teacher inside?" Kato Megumi, who was standing at the door, suddenly appeared in front of Jiang Jinghua.

“Top secret, I have no authority to disclose it.” Jiang Jinghua shrugged and said, mimicking Briette’s tone.

“Alright, then I’ll leave those aside for now,” Kato Megumi said. “But could you tell me about that so-called ‘training camp’ first, Jinghua-kun?”

“That thing…” Jiang Jinghua said, “means that we will participate in a two-month special training program to acquire knowledge and power that are completely ahead of what first-year high school students should have. Of course, because it needs to be accelerated, it will probably be very painful.”

"It's very painful..." Kato Megumi nodded, but she didn't seem scared at all.

"Aren't you scared, Kato-kun?"

“I’m not afraid.” Kato Megumi shook her head. “On the contrary, I’m very happy. Because if I can join the training camp, I should be able to get rid of this insignificant situation, right?”

"That would be best." Jiang Jinghua nodded.

That said, Kato Megumi was dressed neatly and cleanly as usual, but she just couldn't leave any lasting impression.

"Buzz!"

The phone vibrated, signaling the arrival of a new text message.

"A notice to all students in the training camp: After lunch break, please proceed to the designated location on the first basement floor of the teaching building according to the group information attached to this message."

It'll start after lunch break.

A very "profound" impression... What could it be?

Jiang Jinghua, who had never experienced "devil training" in his life, couldn't help but get goosebumps.

……

After lunch.

"...Jinghua Jun, please take care."

Aki Tomoya looked at Jiang Jinghua with a serious expression.

"...I'm not going to the execution ground, is it really necessary?"

"While it's not exactly true, based on what I understand, it's pretty close." Aki Tomoya's expression was grave.

Jiang Jinghua thought that what Lun knew was probably all hearsay.

“Speaking of which, it’s really strange.” Eriri Sawamura, holding a pen in her hand and sitting in the back row, shrugged. “It’s amazing that people like Eri and Kato, who don’t have any special characteristics, were chosen.”

“Since it’s a random selection, it’s possible that anyone could be chosen,” Jiang Jinghua said.

"Ah, anyway, I wish you both the best of luck." Eriri Sawamura tossed her head impatiently. "Speaking of which, I've been really busy lately. The deadline of October 1st is getting closer and closer..."

While muttering to herself, Eriri Sawamura started scribbling on the paper, looking quite agitated.

"Lunch break is almost over. Kato, let's go," Jiang Jinghua said.

"Ah."

The two left the classroom and followed the corridor to a corner of the hexagonal teaching building. They took an elevator down to the so-called "basement level of the teaching building".