After Xia Yanchun returned home, Shen Nian took out all the toys from the toy box and played with each one.
In the end, no more collection items were triggered, so he gave up.
Hidden tasks seemed mostly luck-based—from the tear of clouds and sea to the fate goddess mom, to the plastic toy of the wind and song bell, each one was unexpected. Actively searching for clues left him clueless, but somehow he stumbled into completing them.
Ah, system, take flight!
The next day.
The holiday was ending, and boarding students had to attend evening self-study tonight, but Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun didn’t need to. There was no rush to return to school.
By 10 a.m., Shen Nian was already packed and ready. He, Shen Yue, and Xia Yanchun took a bus to the town entrance.
Shen Nian had only finished eight test papers. He needed two more to advance to an intermediate adventurer. Thankfully, he had [High Spirits], or else he’d be completely drained.
[High Spirits] is carrying hard, bro.
[Glimmer Training] is also a decent title, but experience is abstract. Without controlled variables, it’s hard to gauge how strong [Glimmer Training] really is.
As for [Miraculous Recovery]… there was no chance to test it yet. Shen Nian wasn’t about to self-harm—maybe he’d try it if he scraped his knee someday.
Skills are never a burden. Like in games, some skills you might not use, but it’s good to have them.
On the bus, Shen Yue and Xia Yanchun sat together, chatting like close sisters about everything—recently popular dating shows, Shen Yue’s workplace complaints—never running out of topics.
Shen Nian sat behind them, resting his head on his hands, listening with a forced smile.
Hah, sis stealing her brother’s spot—what kind of sister is this?
Then who’s gonna make up for the affection I’m missing?
Leaning against the back of Xia Yanchun’s seat, Shen Nian secretly breathed in her scent. It felt a bit creepy, but he liked doing it openly when sitting with her too. Since she allowed it, sneaking a whiff was even more acceptable.
Remembering how Xia Yanchun had embarrassingly rushed downstairs yesterday, Shen Nian smirked, feeling warm inside. His hand reached forward to play with her soft, fluffy hair.
Xia Yanchun glanced back at him but ignored it, continuing her chatter with Shen Yue.
…
They arrived at the neighborhood in the afternoon.
A cool breeze swept through. The ground swept clean in the morning was now covered in fallen leaves.
Autumn had truly arrived. Cinan wasn’t as scorching as before—Shen Nian’s favorite crisp autumn days!
Autumn girl, please let me misbehave.
Following the two girls into the neighborhood, Shen Nian took a few steps before leisurely backtracking. He picked up two withered leaves and draped them over the sleeping stray cat by the security booth.
Huh? Aren’t cats supposed to be alert? Why isn’t it waking up?
If not for its little belly rising and falling, Shen Nian would’ve thought it was dead.
So he piled a dozen more leaves on the cat, turning it into a leafy scarecrow.
The security guard who witnessed it all: …
Met a real character today. What even to say about this kid.
By the twentieth leaf, the cat finally woke up. It instinctively tensed to hiss, but seeing Shen Nian, it couldn’t even be bothered. It just dashed into the bushes and flopped down.
Now Shen Nian was satisfied. If the cat didn’t get up and sleep again, he’d feel unsettled.
“Why do you always mess with this cat?” the guard finally spoke up.
This cat was well-behaved—never scratched tires or bike seats, didn’t yowl during mating season, and though it hissed if strangers got too close, it was practically a refined gentleman if left alone.
“Dunno. Developed a bond. Withdrawal symptoms now.”
“You’re something else.” The guard gave a thumbs-up.
Shen Nian chuckled, exchanged a few words, then went back to his room to organize his things.
Dinner was takeout. Seizing the last day of the holiday, Shen Nian rushed to finish his ninth test paper.
Before he knew it, night fell. Shen Nian stretched his neck at the desk.
Just one more paper to become an intermediate adventurer!
Two charm points, two stamina points.
Not that he really needed them anymore.
If only stamina could be converted into mental stats.
Stamina could be infinitely replenished with [High Spirits], and though mental energy could too, Shen Nian’s marathon study sessions sometimes left his brain exhausted. A higher mental cap would’ve been nice.
Charm was even more useless.
Bro’s charm was already maxed out. What now? If attack maxes make you a nuke, defense maxes make you a tank, does charm max turn you into a succubus?
Shen Nian was a kind soul. If possible, he’d gladly share the [Intermediate Adventurer]’s two stamina points with those in need.
For the average high school boy, two stamina points could be life-saving.
Imagine cramming all holiday, then returning to a 1000-meter P.E. test like:
Sound familiar?
This was the reality for countless boys post-holiday.
You wouldn’t want the girls in class to see you gasping after one kilometer, collapsing in defeat, right?
But with those two stamina points? Everything changes.
The delinquent’s hot girlfriend eyes you differently. The quiet, pretty class rep blushes at you. Your childhood friend who usually hates you starts reevaluating…
For some guys, this would be god-tier.
Not you, Ma Mingfan.
Wait, you actually want it? I was joking.
Leaving his room after speedrunning six subjects (essays included), Shen Nian’s head spun. He needed a ten-minute break to recharge.
Shen Yue, as usual, was sprawled on the couch. At least she wasn’t too lazy to shower, or the couch would’ve been filthy by now.
“If you really never get married, are we just gonna live together forever?”
“Huh?” Shen Yue peeked over like a curious kitten. “I’d like that, but you’ll marry someday, right? If it’s Xia Yanchun, I wouldn’t overstay. Just visit occasionally so I don’t die alone out there.”
“What? Since when am I marrying Xia Yanchun?”
“Relax, just an example. Anyone works. Right now, she’s the closest to you, no?” Shen Yue waved it off. “Don’t overthink it.”
“Can you buy life insurance? With me as beneficiary.”
“You’re asking for a beating.” Shen Yue laughed angrily. Disrespecting your elder sister? That’s a death sentence.
Just cut off his monthly gaming pass—that’ll tame him.
Speaking of which, Shen Yue glanced at him. “You really quit gaming?”
“Dropped Naruto. Playing Three Kingdoms Kill now.”
“…Just go back to Naruto.”
“What, disrespecting Three Kingdoms Kill players??” Shen Nian fumed.
“Alright, alright, go play, child.”
Yanxi Reminder: Due to Tomato’s request for 3M+ daily traffic straining servers, we now recommend using alternate sources from other big players.
ress Kneels to Admit Wrong] [Dealing with Love-Struck Fools] [Forced to the Throne] Ren Tianye transmigrated into a female-oriented novel world, only to find everyone in it was utterly insane. He risked his life to save a young girl from barbarians, but was accused of arriving too late and branded the real murderer. He held a knife to a military officer's neck, demanding the troop tally, but the officer only cared about questioning his wife: "Do you not love me anymore? All these years of affection and time together, they were all a mistake, a mistake!" After seizing Yunji City, the original defending general, to save face with the Empress, knelt on the ground: "You must give Yunji City back to me, or I'll hang myself at the city gate and let everyone know you're a villain!" The young lord of the Duke's mansion, to please a woman, directly ordered a merchant: "The menstrual pads you buy for her must be studded with diamonds. Loving her means giving her the best." Having become a great general, he was about to marry a merchant's daughter, who set a pre-nuptial rule: "I can divorce you anytime. When that happens, you must give me half of your troops and soldiers!" Even the Empress was a severe love-struck fool, who ordered the execution of 70,000 elite troops simply because they stood in the way of her romance. Ren Tianye was speechless. He was done. Let it all burn! This deranged female-oriented novel world! ...
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
