Chapter 8

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

A book.

For an instant, Chen’an thought he’d uncovered some secret martial arts manual and nearly sprung to his feet. Except, upon further examination, the book became increasingly familiar.

Are those… Boss Cao’s lesson notes?

Chen’an had been to Boss Cao’s office quite a few times to consult him on challenging chemistry questions, so he recognized the notebook that Boss Cao kept by his side. Mostly because of the stickers of ‘kawaii’ girls plastered prominently across its cover, with smiles as sweet as their all-pink aesthetic.

He forced himself to think rationally. If the system had stolen this notebook from Boss Cao, they must have done so in class–or minimally created a copy of it then. If Boss Cao found out that his notebook was in Chen’an’s possession, would it spell his demise? It in turn begged the question of whether he should take the initiative to return the notebook and simply claim he had picked it up somewhere.

Torn with indecision, he decided to keep the notebook for now. He picked it up, and the treasure chest slowly faded into nothing.

Chen’an exhaled through his nostrils. All things considered, this reward was a little… underwhelming. He flipped the notebook open, and froze.

There were statistics written inside.

[Equipment name: Cao Zhijiang’s Lesson Notes]

[Equipment grade: Light gray]

[Type: Single-handed weapon]

[Attributes: Spirit+1]

[Durability: 19/20]

[Note: This notebook was a gift from Cao Zhijiang’s little daughter, and is greatly treasured by him. If destroyed before his eyes, it will cause huge damage to him–as well as ignite his full hatred for the culprit.]

That explained the stickers.

Chen’an still didn’t understand why a notebook was classified as a weapon, but its attributes seemed promising. With his new 9 points of Spirit, lessons would be a breeze. That alone was enough to make him rule out the possibility of returning the notebook–at least, not until he had obtained a new weapon.

He deposited the notebook into his equipment tab, within fingertips’ reach. Physically, his hands were empty, but all it took was a flick of his will for a copy of the notebook to manifest in front of him. How convenient, he remarked.

That wasn’t all. His mind felt like it had been altered, molded somehow–his brain was more agile, and memories that had been lost to him were emerging from forgotten trenches. It confirmed Chen’an’s original suspicion that this world was a parallel reality of sorts. Many things that had never happened in his old world took place here, and vice versa. Only the people were more or less the same.

Even so, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down, with or without the system to guide him. With his current strength, he was by no means invincible; if someone discovered the existence of the system, he wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight.

Notebook in place, Chen’an made his way to the staffroom with his mock-exam script, intending to conduct an experiment.

Mr Cao had finished eating lunch and was chatting with the other teachers. Because of his position as Year Head, his cubicle was located deep in the staffroom, signifying his rank. Chen’an approached, pretending to ask him about a particularly difficult question–while keeping an eye on Mr Cao’s desk.

A familiar shade of pink peeked out from beneath a stack of books.

So he still has his lesson notes.

In other words, the equipment provided by the system was merely a replica. Despite himself, Chen’an felt a tinge of relief. He wouldn’t have wanted to take Boss Cao’s token of his daughter’s love from him.

After Boss Cao had explained the question to him, he walked briskly back to class, where a bag of cucumber-flavored chips awaited him on his desk.

“Gao Tianjie went to her dormitory to get this for you,” Lu Gang said sourly. “She even asked what flavor you like.” He had never been gifted snacks by a girl before, and failed to keep the envy from his voice.

So Gao Tianjie still remembered the snacks he had asked her for during chemistry class. A woman of her word. She was seated within earshot, causing the tip of her ears to turn red, but she pretended not to hear Lu Gang and made a show of busying herself with work.

Wordlessly, Chen’an smiled and accepted the chips.

They had an hour for lunch break, during which students could choose to take a nap, or continue studying. It didn’t matter–as long as you kept your volume down. Back then, this would have been Chen’an and Lu Gang’s designated nap time.

Lu Gang was about to do just that when he saw Chen’an take out an English book and open it. He gaped openly.

“What the heck? Aren’t you going to rest?” There was a thread of anxiety in his tone.

Without looking up, Chen’an replied quietly, “I think my English is still salvageable. I want to see if I can improve it.” He chose his words cautiously, careful not to upset Lu Gang and ruin his afternoon nap.

It didn’t work.

Lu Gang closed his eyes, but he couldn’t ward off the creeping uneasiness in his heart. With Chen’an being the designated worst student in English class, it had been a burden lifted off his shoulders. Now, he found himself itching with apprehension at his deskmate’s newfound dedication to his studies.

“I can’t sleep,” he grumbled.

“Why don’t you attempt a few English questions? You’ll be able to sleep earlier tonight.”

Lu Gang acquiesced and opened his textbook.

In five minutes, he was snoring, his breathing deep and rhythmic beside Chen’an.

A testament to the hypnotic power of an English textbook. Chen’an did Lu Gang the favor of slipping some tissues under his face before returning to his learning.

Needless to say, the process was a smooth one, with his sharpened mental abilities.