To my astonishment, the conversation I had with my best friend Fang Xiaotong had given me a few more things to think about regarding my power. I still didn't understand exactly what the Infinite Power of Luck was capable of, and even after trying to communicate with the System, I hadn't received a useful explanation. The only thing I knew for certain was that I had somehow obtained an ability related to luck, and judging from the strange feeling that had been following me ever since I received the card, there was probably much more to it than I initially realized.
I didn't want to make any assumptions before I had the opportunity to test it properly, especially when I didn't even know whether my luck could be consciously controlled.
Another hour passed while everyone waited for the chefs to finish preparing dinner.
The atmosphere inside the school had gradually become less tense as people started talking with one another and comparing the abilities they had received from the System. Some students were already excited about becoming stronger, while others were still visibly frightened by the thought of an invasion happening tomorrow.
Then, a person dressed entirely in white attire walked out of the cafeteria kitchen and approached the front of the room.
"Attention, everyone! We have officially finished preparing the food, and the chefs are now ready to serve all of our guests. Please form an orderly line and take your trays from the serving station before proceeding to your seats. We have prepared enough food for everyone, so there is no need to rush or worry about running out."
The moment he finished speaking, the people around us immediately began moving toward the cafeteria.
Fang Xiaotong stood up from his seat and looked at me.
"Brother Yin, let's go before everyone else takes all the good seats. I don't know how many people are going to be eating here, but considering how many people I saw entering the school earlier, I wouldn't be surprised if we have to fight our way through the crowd just to find a place to sit."
I laughed as I followed him.
"You're more worried about finding a seat than the invasion tomorrow?"
"Of course not. I'm worried about both, but the food is something we can actually deal with right now. Besides, if we're going to spend the entire night thinking about monsters, we might as well enjoy one good meal before they arrive."
"I guess that's one way to look at it."
We grabbed our trays and joined the long line forming outside the serving area.
It took some time before we reached the front, but once I got close enough to see the food, I immediately understood why everyone had been so excited.
The aroma coming from the kitchen was incredible, and a beautifully prepared steak sat directly in front of me.
I stared at it for several seconds before looking toward Fang Xiaotong.
"Are you sure this is an emergency shelter? This looks more like the cafeteria of a five-star hotel."
Fang Xiaotong laughed.
"I was thinking the same thing. Whatever happens tomorrow, at least we can say we had a pretty good final dinner."
"Don't say it like that."
"Why? You know what I mean."
"I know, but saying 'final dinner' makes it sound like we're definitely going to die tomorrow."
Fang Xiaotong immediately waved his hand.
"Don't worry so much. The military and police are already preparing everything, and there are people with System abilities all over the city. Besides, we don't even know how strong the monsters will be yet. For all we know, tomorrow's invasion might be easier than everyone expects."
"I hope you're right."
We eventually found a table and sat down together.
I picked up the spoon and tasted the carrot soup first.
The moment the soup entered my mouth, I couldn't help but pause.
"This is really good."
Fang Xiaotong smiled.
"I told you. I could smell the food from across the building."
I took another spoonful before picking up the bread sitting beside the soup.
"What kind of bread is this?"
"Ciabatta."
"How do you know that?"
"I heard one of the chefs talking about it earlier."
I took a bite.
The outer crust was crispy, while the inside was soft and chewy.
I nodded approvingly.
"I understand why people like this now."
Fang Xiaotong laughed.
"You've never eaten ciabatta before?"
"No. I usually don't think about the names of bread."
"That's fair. I didn't either until today."
Around us, conversations continued to spread throughout the cafeteria.
A group of students sitting nearby were discussing the meal while eating.
"Where did they even get ingredients this good?"
"I have no idea. Maybe the school had a huge supply stored somewhere."
"There's no way they had enough food for everyone."
"Maybe the System helped them."
"Can the System even do something like that?"
"I don't know. At this point, I'm starting to think anything is possible."
I couldn't help but agree with that statement.
Only a few hours ago, humanity had been living ordinary lives.
Now everyone had received a System, supernatural abilities had appeared, and an invasion was scheduled to begin tomorrow.
There wasn't much that could be considered impossible anymore.
While we continued eating, another conversation suddenly caught my attention.
"Did you guys hear about the ability rankings?"
A student sitting several tables away spoke loudly enough for everyone around him to hear.
Another student immediately turned around.
"What rankings are you talking about?"
"I heard someone received an SSS-rank ability."
Fang Xiaotong nearly choked on his drink. "SSS-rank? You're telling me S-rank isn't the highest?"
"That's what I heard."
"Then where did you hear something like that?"
"My friend has a cousin who works at another school. Apparently, someone there received an ability that the System couldn't classify using the normal rankings."
Fang Xiaotong's expression changed. "Wait... if that's true, then what exactly determines the ranking of these abilities? Is S-rank really the limit, or is it simply the highest rank we've encountered so far?"
I listened quietly, but I couldn't help becoming curious as well. If the System was capable of giving everyone different abilities, there was no reason to assume that humanity had already discovered the limits of what it could offer.
"Maybe SSS-rank is just another rumor," I said. "We've only had the System for a few hours. People are probably going to exaggerate everything they hear."
"That's true," Fang Xiaotong replied, "but wouldn't it be interesting if the rumor were actually real?" He leaned closer with a grin. "Imagine someone walking around with an ability so ridiculous that even an S-rank user would have to look up at them."
I laughed. "You sound like you're already hoping to meet someone like that."
"Of course I am. If the world is really changing, I want to see how far these powers can go."