Chapter 15: Annihilating the Athlete

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

As a sports student who specialized in 100m races, Pan Yuguan always wore spiked shoes when training. The soles of said shoes were adorned with blunt spikes; light yet durable. The strong grip they lent him boosted his explosive power, and hence his speed. Additionally, he was more familiar with–and attuned to–the starting command and timing.

Naturally, his superior experience became even more pronounced alongside Chen’an, who was at a disadvantage from the get go.

Chen’an’s supporters began to worry–if the gap between them at the start was so apparent, wouldn’t it just widen as the race progressed?

But Chen’an shared none of their concerns, even as he kicked into a sprint.

Because he had his 3 additional Agility points on his side.

From behind, Chen’an noticed that Pan Yuguan’s legs were moving far more rapidly than his. His boosted Spirit allowed him to discern the frequency of his opponent’s steps, which currently exceeded his. In response, he accelerated the movement of his limbs.

Faster, he demanded, clenching his jaw.

His boosted Agility answered his call–in a burst of speed, he was matching Pan Yuguan stride for stride.

They were only 50m apart. Pan Yuguan had maxed out his headstart; Chen’an kicked up the frequency of his steps again. To everyone’s shock, Chen’an sped up, gradually reducing the distance between him and Pan Yuguan!

At the 100m mark, they were neck to neck.

When Pan Yuguan noticed, he was startled, and tried his best to overtake Chen’an. His veins bulged and his face flushed red from the effort, but still, Chen’an was slowly surpassing him.

“Impossible! He caught up to Yuguan! Did that guy cheat?” a sports student exclaimed in disbelief.

“I don’t know–look, he’s overtaken Yuguan!”

“That’s ridiculous. Yuguan’s wearing spiked shoes. He can’t possibly lose!”

The sports students were taken aback: Pan Yuguan, whose specialty was sprints, was about to be beaten by a nerd whose talents belonged in the classroom! If news of this got out, Pan Yuguan’s place on the sports team might be threatened.

On the other hand, the students of Class 37 were nothing short of elated.

Normally, the track was a stage for sports students to showcase their athletic abilities, especially at sporting events. They took an almost animalistic pride in crushing their ordinary peers; just last autumn, Pan Yuguan had left the first runner-up of the 100m race in the dust by nearly 10m.

He had crushed his competition so decisively, it had all but cemented the average student’s view that sports students were invincible where athletics were concerned.

But today, they had found someone who could put even sports students to shame.

Chen’an was blazing ahead, as if in defiance of the norm.

Who would have thought that this bookworm, who was more interested in discussing gaming strategies with his friends than paying attention to sports, would be the truly indomitable one?

Class 37 was roused to excitement, especially Lu Gang. He had been touched that his friend had gone to such lengths for him, but he hadn’t been optimistic about Chen’an’s chances of victory. He had already been preparing to dig up his collection of precious books to lend to Chen’an as comfort after his inevitable defeat.

But Chen’an had exceeded his expectations–he could really run! No wonder he beat Lu Gang every time they dashed to the internet cafe to snag a seat.

A crouching tiger, hidden dragon indeed.

Lu Gang rushed to the finish line and burst into cheers. “Chen’an! You can do it!”

His classmates followed suit, though none of them with as much enthusiasm as Jiang Min. She was flushed with exhilaration, even more than when she had come in first place earlier. “Come on, Chen’an!” she cried.

Spurred on by his classmates, Lu Gang continued shouting out encouragement. “Faster!” In jest, he added, “If you win, I’ll have your babies!”

The students, who had been echoing Lu Gang’s cheers, all fell into an abrupt silence and stared at him, bewildered.

Only Jiang Min was too thrilled to notice.

“Me too, Chen’an! I’ll have your babies!” she shouted at the top of her lungs, using her hands as a loudspeaker.

It took a second for her words to come crashing down onto her.

Her face turned bright red, and she was met with the sudden urge to bury herself alive.

***

On Chen’an’s part, he had been focused on the race; when he heard what Lu Gang had said, he nearly choked.

Fortunately, 100m was a short distance. With 10m on his opponent, Chen’an dashed past the finish line. A fierce cheer erupted from Class 37, attracting the attention of everyone in the vicinity.

Shortly, Pan Yuguan crossed the finish line too. His own expression became contorted as he looked at the cheering students of Class 37.

There was no way Chen’an should have been able to beat him so soundly after lagging behind when the race started, especially with the aid of his spiked shoes.

It defied all logic–all the laws of nature, even.

Unless he had finally found someone more talented than him?

As Pan Yuguan was grappling with his own internal crisis, Chen’an noticed a series of prompts that had flooded in during the race.

[You have caught up with the running frequency of Athlete Pan Yuguan, denting his confidence. His current Lifeblood: -20]

[Your feat has shocked spectator Athlete Hong Zhou. His current Lifeblood: -10]

[You have caught up with Athlete Pan Yuguan, dealing him a mental blow. His current Lifeblood: -40]

[Your feat has further shocked spectator Athlete Hong Zhou. His current Lifeblood: -20]

His victims were primarily sports students. Chen’an’s eyes glinted.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t managed to inflict any damage on his teacher: Alpha Athlete. But right now, he chose to focus on his achievements from defeating Pan Yuguan.

[You defeated Athlete Pan Yuguan in the 200m race, causing heavy psychological damage to him. His current Lifeblood: -70]

[Congratulations on defeating Athlete Pan Yuguan. You have gained 12 experience points and 24 gold coins.]

[Congratulations on your achievement: annihilating the Athlete.]