David stared blankly at the box of sticky fluids before him. he still couldn’t comprehend how this was food.

“Um, I need food, not… This alright?” Dav stated foolishly at the block of machinery before him.

“Since your star haven’t been graded as of yet, That’s what any grade less student of the institute gets.” A voice spoke out from the machinery. Dav recognised the voice as the AI who said it had been waiting for him two days ago, trying to flaunt it’s authority.

“And how do I get it graded?” David asked, he was already pretty tired about this world’s complex way of life in the institute.

“If you are adamant about not reading your students guide, you could just pay a certain amount of money for answers to certain questions. The cost of the answer to the question you requested for is three gyno points, cheap right?” The voice stated.

David couldn’t be bothered to speak with the money grubber who was bent on collecting Gyno points for a simple piece of information.

Applying pressure on the imprint for three seconds,

“Direct me to the place where I would be reviewed.” David walked out of the cafeteria without looking back but not without taking the box of sticky fluids in it. He was still hungry after all.

David stepped into the elevator but not without muttering out a curse . He hadn’t forgotten the way the elevator embarrassed him in front of his mates.

He waited until the elevator took him him to the second floor which was the floor the magnetic pull also pointed at.

He had always wondered if the elevator reads people’s mind as it seems to know which floor whichever person wanted to stop at.

Although he wondered, he didn’t have time for that yet. He had to get himself graded as soon as possible. The taste of the sticky liquid was horrible.

David’s mind shuddered as he threw the empty box to the wastebin in the elevator.

Although he hated the taste, he was really hungry, so he didn’t even notice when he finished it. All he knew was that it had an horrendous, silky and salty taste.

Exiting the elevator, he hurriedly made his way to the review centre.

He made his way there very easily as the other students were just waking up at this point in time.

Opening the door to the review centre, he was instantly surprised by the immediate surroundings.

It was all white, the same as his room’s default wallpaper.

The tip of his eyebrow instantly rise upwards.

“Isn’t it too early to be here at this time?” a slightly flat but annoyed voice sounded out, distracting David from his observation.

Dav immediately looked forward, his expression soon changed into an ‘as expected expression’.

The person behind the desk had the same posture, expression and even the behaviour of those who works behind the desk on earth too.

For example, the slightly pot belly peeking through the hole from the midsection of the desk, also the ‘i don’t give a f*ck’ expression the man had.

It made David miss earth a bit. Just a bit though.

“Hi there, uhh…not really?”

David replied, sounding a bit confused.

“Anyway, I’m here to get myself graded.” David stated.

The man was instantly surprised.

Although, Dav wasn’t the first to get grade in this batch of students he also wasn’t the second and certainly wasn’t the third to be graded among the students of the institute.

But he was definitely among the top 200 talented students of this batch of recruitment.

“Oh, you should have just said that earlier, Mr…?”

As though I was given the chance to talk. David thought in his heart.

“I’m David, you can just call me Dav if you wish.” David replied while strolling inside the room.

“Hmm, I would call you Dav then haha, please, sit.” the man responded with a laugh this time. Quite different from the his earlier moody expression.

“You just have to go through the test first before I can grade you officially. By the way, I’m Johnson but you can also call me Mr John if you’d so wish.” John bent down from his seat, when he stood back up, he was holding a type of technological bracelet.

Holding it towards David.

“Place it in any of your wrist.”

“What is this exactly?” David was a bit sceptical. He got seated.

“Its nothing really, it just helps us confirm if you really no longer affected by the myalgia.” John replied truthfully.

“You would feel a slight pain mind you.” John added.

“Okay let’s get this over with.” David wore the bracelet on his left wrist.

“Now what?” puzzled nothing happened.

“Do not be impatient Da-“

Bzzt!

Electric energy flashed as the electrical current was discharged into David’s body.

“Hmph! that really hurts.” Dav groaned and clenched his teeth rightly to endure the pain.

“Does it really have to be this painful?” Dav complained as the pain faded from his body while removing the test bracelet from his wrist.

“What was that for?” David said as he glared at the pot belled man before him.

“Sorry about that Dav, I’m just following protocols.” John replied to David being apologetic. Retrieving the bracelet from Dav, he kept it back to its previous position.

“So did I pass the test?” David questioned, rubbing his wrist gently.

“Of course you did. Splendidly in fact.” john smiled

“Great… what if I didn’t pass?”

“Hehe, Let’s just say, you wouldn’t be… here to ask any questions, Dav.” John grinned as he relaxed to his chair.

David instantly understood what he meant. The Myalgia would increase one’s sensitivity by a lot and if one were to be electrocuted by the bracelet during that time, it was death straight away, no hope of survival.

David frowned as he felt it was way too cruel. But, it wasn’t really his business. He just needed to know his grades.

“So what’s my grade?” he asked impatiently.

“Do not be impatient Dav, your are now a Three star talented student and as a three star talented student, there are some private privileges specially reserved by the institute for students as talented as you are. You can read the students guide for more information. ” John beamed. An holographic image with three bright stars emerged from John’s desk.

John reached out to them, he grabbed at the three stars before swiftly throwing them along Dav’s direction.

Directly towards his imprint. David was shocked as he thought he was being attacked but the three stars just disappeared into his imprint as if being absorbed into it as though nothing had ever happened. It was a fascinating sight.

“Fascinating, but Why three star, Why not five star ?” Dav questioned subconsciously, as he rubbed his imprint still marvelled by the previous scene.

John smile instantly froze as he gazed at Dav with a deadly stare.

“Get out, Now!” John said in a deep tone. Struggling to keep himself calm. He had mentioned five stars like it was nothing. If five stars were that common, the institute wouldn’t be bothered with those thre stars students

“Okay, I was just asking out of curiosity anyway. No need to be that hard in me.” trying to defending himself, David raised both his hands up.

…

Leaving the now angry John’s office, David headed straight back to the cafeteria. Although, people are out from their beds already.

Upon getting there, Dav had to wait in line for his turn behind some groups of teenagers.

Finally his turn, he stretched his hand which has the imprint in it.

“You have already withdrawn your morning meal today. please kindly step away from the line or pay a certain fix amount of gyno points to purchase the types of food available for sale?.” The familiar robotic voice sounded out.

‘F*ck, you call that sh*tty liquid, food? What else do this world call food over here. Never mind, I don’t wanna know’ Dav secretly muttered.

Dav left the cafeteria in anger.

He reached a certain spot in the current floor. He sat down to catch a breather at a bench he found at some point.

He could see some students walking while tapping into the air rapidly. Some were even tapping furiously at what David can only describe as rays of lights.

He was only able to see multiple rays of light and was confused why the rest of the students would do that.

After a moment of realisation, David raised his arm up.

Applying pressure on the imprint for three seconds, he called to his Personal digitalised computer.

“I want to see my own personal holographic image.” David said, he needed to get used to this world quickly in order to avoid suspicion.

“Switching to manual mode,

please wait a moment.

Initialising… 50 seconds to completion,

please wait.”