Chapter 3: Setting Out for the World of Fantasy!

"Hey! Look, isn’t that the 'King of the Useless' from Class E?"

"It really is! Actually, he looks pretty handsome..."

"Handsome? What’s the point? He’s still just a good-for-nothing!"

Just as he stepped onto the campus, Sikong Xu had planned to throw a flirtatious glance at a group of girls nearby, but he hadn’t expected his identity to be recognized so quickly.

"Damn, is my reputation really that widespread?" The girls’ voices weren’t loud, but neither were they soft—Sikong Xu could clearly hear every word. Still, he was famous for his thick skin; he knew they were talking about him, but so what?

Hmph, laugh all you want—after today, my strength will leave you utterly astonished! After roaring this impassioned phrase in his heart, Sikong Xu’s gaze instantly grew sly and mischievous, darting to the girls’ bare, white legs beneath their short skirts.

"Heh heh, campus life is wonderful—so many beauties to feast my eyes upon." Sikong Xu chuckled lewdly in his mind, though he kept a serious expression on his face.

Enjoying the view as he walked, it wasn’t long before Sikong Xu arrived at the classroom for Class E.

The classroom wasn’t large—perhaps because there was only one student and one homeroom teacher. The school had casually placed it in a corner of the first-year building.

Upon entering, Sikong Xu was greeted by a fresh, clean scent. The classroom was about fifty square meters, a far cry from the hundreds of square meters boasted by Classes A through D, but what it lacked in size it made up for in tranquility.

Despite its modest size, the classroom was not the dusty, neglected sort; on the contrary, the blackboard and desk—though there was only one—were arranged neatly, and the space didn’t feel at all monotonous. This was entirely thanks to Sikong Xu’s frequent cleaning.

Previously, Sikong Xu had wandered aimlessly through the fantasy worlds, lacking any trial plan from his teacher. If he landed in a relatively peaceful world, he could linger for a while; if he found himself in a dangerous one, he was doomed.

"Today marks the first step of my rise!" Sikong Xu clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with a strange light—the light of confidence.

After reassuring himself, Sikong Xu turned his gaze to the podium, where stood a peculiar cylindrical machine—the device designed specifically for student physical examinations.

At the far right of the podium, etched into the floor, was a complex geometric array composed of mercury, flanked by two structures resembling electronic security gates. These were the machines and arrays used by students of Dimensional Academy to traverse fantasy worlds!

Because students of Dimensional Academy gained powerful abilities after their trials in the fantasy worlds (except for Sikong Xu, the King of the Useless...), the school had established a hierarchy of strength to keep things standardized.

From lowest to highest, the levels were: Ink Black, Radiant Yellow, Verdant Green, Blazing Red, Celestial Blue, and Dream Violet—six tiers said to have originated from a rival dimension.

Sikong Xu sighed lightly and slid his finger across the projection panel of the examination machine, then stepped inside.

After fingerprint and retinal verification, the machine finally beeped, and a projection screen appeared before Sikong Xu.

Beep… Identity confirmed.

Name: Sikong Xu

Status: First-year student

Level: Unable to determine

Innate Skills: Dimensional Summoning, Contract Summoning

Evaluation: How could Dimensional Academy produce such a worthless student? Did the entrance exam proctors fall asleep?

After reading his basic information, Sikong Xu’s brow furrowed and twitched for a long moment.

"Unable to determine level"—what does that mean! Even if I haven’t reached Ink Black, you don’t have to say it like that! And that evaluation! The proctors shouldn’t be blamed; I never even took the entrance exam!

Sighing softly, Sikong Xu acknowledged that he had long known how weak he was. Still, facing the facts was harder than he thought.

Fortunately, he still possessed two innate skills—the hidden trump cards. His predecessor had dismissed them as useless, but that didn’t mean Sikong Xu would make the same mistake! Moreover, according to his memories, after failing to awaken, his predecessor had suffered a severe blow and never revealed the existence of these skills. If he had, the title "King of the Useless" might never have existed.

Dimensional Summoning—a skill Sikong Xu considered extremely powerful. Using it, he could randomly summon objects from countless dimensional planes: weapons, trash, skills, even characters. However, it required a sacrificial item—not just any object, but something imbued with energy. The quality of the summoned item depended on the quality of the sacrifice; the greater the energy, the greater the outcome. His predecessor had used things like batteries and gasoline—impure energy, resulting in mere junk. By the way, this skill could only be used once every half month.

Contract Summoning—an even more formidable talent, in Sikong Xu’s eyes.

This skill allowed him, with the other party’s consent, to form a contract with any conscious entity and then summon them to his side.

It sounded simple, but Sikong Xu’s otaku mind quickly saw its potential: forming contracts with anime characters from fantasy worlds! If they agreed, then upon his return to the real world, he could summon them forth!

The more Sikong Xu thought, the more excited he became; he could hardly wait to enter a fantasy world. But entry required the teacher to activate the traversal machine.

Though his homeroom teacher was rarely seen, today was the school’s designated day for dimensional traversal—all students were required to participate unless exempted for special reasons. Sikong Xu wasn’t worried; his teacher, lazy as he seemed, was principled and would definitely show.

After waiting for over ten minutes, a figure finally shuffled in from the corridor outside.

It was a man of about forty, with a lazy, sleepy expression, a cigarette dangling—lit, then extinguished—from his lips. He was peculiar, wearing a thick cotton coat despite the sweltering weather, seemingly unaffected by the heat.

"Mr. Jiang, you’re finally here." Sikong Xu was immune to his teacher’s odd appearance; this middle-aged man was Jiang Hong, his homeroom teacher.

"Mm… Xu… you’re early." Jiang Hong always squinted, perpetually half-asleep, his speech slow and broken as if drifting between wakefulness and dreams.

Strangely, Sikong Xu could always understand him clearly, making him wonder whether Jiang Hong was truly sleepy or just pretending.

"Mr. Jiang, today’s the school-mandated day for fantasy world trials," Sikong Xu said, feeling an unexpected warmth toward his teacher’s sleepy demeanor.

"Mm… ha… I’ll activate the traversal machine now… Oh, right, I won’t repeat the importance of the imprint—remember to rely on its guidance once inside." Jiang Hong yawned, then slowly approached the dimensional traversal machine, beginning the sequence to activate it.

Sikong Xu smiled helplessly, then raised his left hand. On the back was a silver, arcane pattern—an indispensable mark for entering Dimensional Academy. After some consideration, Sikong Xu said, "Mr. Jiang, I’d like to ask you for something."

"Something? Oh! Got it. I never gave you a trial plan for the fantasy worlds, so you must’ve been complaining about me…" Jiang Hong chuckled, his bristling stubble twitching, "If you want a trial plan…"

"No, sir… How should I put this… I wanted to ask if you have anything with energy."

"Something with energy?" Suddenly, Jiang Hong’s squinted eyes snapped open.

Murky eyes, with dark brown irises hinting at countless stories—Jiang Hong was no ordinary teacher at Dimensional Academy.

"You mean…" His expression became serious, but after a moment he squinted again. "Forget it, see if this works."

He withdrew his hand from the cotton coat, rummaged in his pocket, and tossed a small item to Sikong Xu.

It resembled a crystal, but was far more transparent, scattering rainbow light in the sun. It was marble-sized, but felt as heavy as a basketball in Sikong Xu’s palm.

"Will this do?" Jiang Hong asked.

"It should…" Sikong Xu wasn’t entirely certain about the requirements for Dimensional Summoning.

"As long as it works. The traversal machine is ready—you can go now." Jiang Hong gestured at the glowing dimensional gate behind him.

"Dimensional traversal machine…" Sikong Xu stared, entranced, at the alluring silver-white geometric array and the portal, crackling with blue electricity and shielded by a pale blue barrier.

"Alright, stop gawking… let me think… The fantasy world you’ll traverse today is called 'Attack on Titan.' It’s not too difficult, but there is danger. However, the school’s barrier will protect you from true death; once you’re inside, your imprint will guide you. Go ahead."

"'Attack on Titan,' huh…" Sikong Xu took a deep breath and stepped into the pale blue barrier of the traversal portal…