Chapter 16: Lousy Jumper

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

[You defeated an Athlete, without taking any damage yourself. Keep it up.]

[Achievement points: +2]

Chen’an surveyed the crowd and discovered that half the Lifeblood of the sports students around him–displayed in a healthbar above their heads–had been depleted.

A pretty impressive blow, if he did say so himself.

Chen’an took a few moments to catch his breath. He had to admit, it was good to be young. It had only been a few minutes after the race, but he had almost recovered. He could even go for another round, if needed. But there were more important things to occupy him now.

“I believe you owe my friend an apology,” Chen’an said as he approached Pan Yuguan.

Pan Yuguan had finally stopped reeling in shock and had been planning to slip away, but it was too late. A crowd began to gather, whispering amongst themselves.

Heat rose to Pan Yuguan’s face. Instincts nearly made him push past everyone and flee, but his pride kept him rooted to the ground.

“Just apologize, Yuguan. It was your fault earlier,” said Class 37’s gym teacher, who had borne witness to the entire saga.

Reluctantly, Pan Yuguan dragged his feet towards Lu Gang and muttered an apology under his breath. Lu Gang, who had stopped fuming long ago, brushed off Pan Yuguan’s halfhearted apology and approached Chen’an.

“I’ve got a surprise for you tonight, bro!”

Chen’an raised his eyebrows and backed away. “Hey, we’re good friends. There’s no need for that.”

Touched, Lu Gang nodded. “Remember the two yuan you owe me from two months ago? Keep it. It’s yours.”

Chen’an: ̄へ ̄

***

With Chen’an’s victory, the issue concerning Pan Yuguan was finally resolved. His defeat still stinging, Pan Yuguan slunk away, his head bowed in humiliation.

With his opponent gone, Chen’an wondered if there were any limits to what he could do in this alternate reality–and if so, what would happen if he overstepped them.

After their gym teacher gave them free range to practice by themselves, Chen’an began testing the boundaries of the dungeon.

However, just as he was about to step out of the field, a transparent wall suddenly appeared in front of Chen’an. The system also sent him a corresponding notification.

[You are about to step out of the dungeon boundary. If you want to continue forward, you need to close the dungeon first. Do you wish to proceed with closing the dungeon?]

From the notification, he inferred that he had the ability to leave dungeons halfway through. However, he didn’t know if his achievement points could be regained after quitting–which was unlikely.

But Pan Yuguan had been able to leave the field, which meant this dungeon boundary applied to Chen’an alone. The others wouldn’t be restricted by it. He had just been experimenting and didn’t want to leave the dungeon, so he promptly chose ‘No’.

As he made his choice, a gentle force nudged him back onto the field.

Since Chen’an had already figured out the boundaries of the dungeon, his next step was to kill as many monsters as possible.

He could already feel the effects of leveling up his attributes. He had yet to reach his maximum attribute levels, but he was already much stronger than before. As long as he kept it up, one day it wouldn’t even matter if the truth of the system came to light.

While Chen’an had been experimenting by the edge of the field, Jiang Min had made a trip to the snack kiosk. She jogged over and handed him an energy drink.

“You must be thirsty, Chen’an. I bought you a drink.”

Chen’an was stunned for an instant. Then he accepted the bottle and downed a large gulp. He made a refreshed noise, matching his pleased expression.

“This is even better than what I usually drink. Must be because it’s from you.”

Jiang Min blushed. “As long as you like it, Chen’an. I’ll go find Tianjie now.” She jogged away.

Watching her retreating figure, Chen’an sighed, wishing she were running in the opposite direction. After a few mouthfuls of the energy drink, his alertness perked up. It was time to find a target!

The sports students were continuing their training in Pan Yuguan’s absence. The other classes were also spread out. Some of them were gathered around sports students training in a sport they enjoyed, mirroring their exercises. Bit by bit, the field turned lively as the sports students took advantage of their audience and began to show off.

Normally, their training would be punctuated by screaming from Cheerleaders somewhere in the vicinity, drawing everyone’s attention.

Today was no exception, and Chen’an let their hollers lead him to the sandpit.

A tall, slender sports student was demonstrating his long jump in front of a crowd. He began by sprinting from a distance, picking up the pace, until he was at the springboard in front of the sandpit. With the barest brush of his foot against the white line painted on the springboard, he would sail through the air before coming to a steady, controlled landing.

The cheerleaders broke out into a series of shrieks.

“Amazing! That must have been at least 5m!”

“5m? Try 6m!”

“I hear his record is 6.5m!”

“Damn, that far? My toilet at home is only 7m long.”

“Spectacular, isn’t he?”

Their remarks brought a smirk to the sports student–Gao Chao’s–face. He was just basking in their admiration when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

“Nice jump. I wonder if your 200m sprints are equally impressive?”

Gao Chao was about to respond that although he was a long jumper, he wasn’t any less of a runner. However, when he turned around, he saw Chen’an smiling back at him.

[You have shocked Athlete Gao Chao. His current Lifeblood: -10]

Chen’an was momentarily taken aback; he had just been trying to make conversation.

“Aren’t you that same Chen’an from earlier? No way I’m running 200m. Not if it’s against you.” Gao Chao shook his head and lifted his hands in an exaggerated refusal.

Pan Yuguan’s defeat had sealed Chen’an’s name and appearance in the memories of all the sports students present; that alone had been enough for him to turn down the challenge without missing a heartbeat. What a joke, anyway. Why should he leave his admirers at the sandpit to compete against Chen’an, who had beaten someone who specialized in sprints?

The idea alone was almost offensive.

Chen’an, who had been expecting his answer, said, “That’s fine. Mind imparting some of your long jump skills to me, then?”

“Huh?” Gao Chao blinked in confusion.

“You heard me,” Chen’an replied with a solemn nod. “I’m a pretty lousy jumper.”