Chapter 12

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Some of the girls were walking around, trying to catch their breath; others had given up and simply lay panting on the lawn. Jiang Min had clocked the fastest timing amongst the girls, seven seconds ahead of the first runner-up, which delighted her.

Shortly after, their teacher–Alpha Athlete–ordered the boys to prepare for their run. They had to walk back 200m, to ensure they would end at the same finish line as the girls.

They readied themselves and awaited the order to begin.

[Warning! The 1km run is about to start. You must complete the trial according to Alpha Athlete’s instructions. For every monster that passes you, the damage done to you will increase by 10%, with a cap of 200%.]

Chen’an’s mouth flattened. Wasn’t this penalty a bit much? He thought of his past experiences and shuddered at the notion of what ‘200% damage’ entailed. With his 40 drops of Lifeblood left, he doubted he could afford it.

He had no choice but to give the run his all.

“Ready… get set… go!”

Four Athletes instantly hurled off into the distance. Show offs.

They weren’t concerned about their performance during the run itself–only the 200m before where the girls were gathered, so they could charge ahead and earn themselves a round of swooning awe. They were neck to neck, jostling for limelight.

Ten seconds later–before their peers had even covered 100m–they were sprinting towards the girls in a reckless burst of energy. One of them shot past the 200m mark, causing the girls to squeal. Once he was out of their line of sight, his pace slowed dramatically, and his posture crumpled, like his strength had abruptly whittled away.

Such a sporadic and inconsistent pace couldn’t possibly carry him to the end of the run.

After 200m, the difference in stamina between the group Chen’an was running alongside began to show. He and three other boys were in the lead, with most of the others on their heels, and a few Weaklings–including Lu Gang–straggling at the back of the pack. It highlighted the wide range of their abilities.

Chen’an was still trying to figure out how to defeat the Athletes in his class. It wasn’t as though he could pull whatever body-language trick he had on Jiang Min again–especially since he didn’t even know what he had done.

Never mind that. He had to focus on not dying, or killing monsters would be the least of his concerns.

Chen’an deepened his focus and sped up. It wasn’t his first time running 1km; as long as he regulated his breathing and pace, scoring full marks shouldn’t be too difficult. The rest of the world fell away, narrowing to the track beneath his feet and the tempo of his breaths. Distantly, he registered his own panting, but not much else–not even Jiang Min’s cheers.

One lap down.

The boys who had charged ahead earlier were now trailing at the end of the pack behind Chen’an, just barely before the weakest of their classmates.

Chen’an was on his second lap now, and his pace and breaths were still steady. The last 200m loomed in the distance, dangling just out of reach. His eyes lit up as he launched into a sprint–a final burst of strength.

150m. He held himself high as he ran, his gaze alive with controlled determination.

100m!

His chest rose and fell rapidly, his lungs burning as he squeezed every last drop of speed out of him. He was close enough to hear the girls cheering, Jiang Min loudest of all. Her face was still flushed; as Chen’an approached, she pumped her fist in the air.

“You can do it, Chen’an! You’re almost there!”

The fire in Chen’an swelled into an inferno, fueling him to blaze past his classmates. Finally, he crossed the finish line with Jiang Min’s cheers ringing in his ears.

“3 minutes and 8 seconds!”

His gym teacher paused the stopwatch and shot an appraising glance at Chen’an; his timing was impressive for someone who was a bookworm rather than an athlete.

“Wow!” Jiang Min exclaimed. “You’re amazing, Chen’an!”

Panting, Chen’an nodded, walking off the exertion of the run. 7 seconds faster than his former best record, he noted. A seemingly small improvement, but a noteworthy one for someone who had barely had the time to exercise since graduation.

Another testament to the effects of his enhanced Spirit.

If he had used that potential point to boost his Vitality, it might have given him the edge to clock a truly stellar timing.

Behind him, the other boys were streaming past the finish line.

“3 minutes and 15 seconds!”

“3 minutes and 21 seconds!”

“3 minutes and 25 seconds!”

Those three boys had gotten full marks, one after the other, but Chen’an was distracted by a notification from the system.

[You passed the 1km run trial with flying colors, making up for your earlier damage.]

[You came in first-place during the run, so the monsters behind you will suffer damage that increases by 10%, same as what you would have.]

The notification preceded an influx of multiple others:

[Average Joe Li Chaoqun has suffered damage. His current Lifeblood: -70]

[Congratulations on defeating Average Joe Li Chaoqun. You have gained 6 experience points and 12 gold coins.]

[Average Joe Fu Liejian has suffered damage. His current Lifeblood: -70]

[Congratulations on defeating Average Joe Fu Liejian. You have gained 6 experience points and 12 gold coins.]

[Congratulations on leveling up. You have gained 1 potential point. Please allocate it as you see fit.]

[Congratulations on your achievement: borrowing fuel for strength. You killed 10 monsters, while playing by the BOSS’ rules. Keep it up!]

[Achievement points: +1]

The sudden flood of notifications nearly blinded Chen’an, but one thing was clear: his Level 2 classmates had been wiped out!