On the way to school, Shen Nian kept pondering the system tasks.
One thing was certain—the system had a clear main storyline, similar to an RPG game where an adventurer grows stronger and eventually battles the final boss.
Side quests, however, seemed to require certain trigger conditions—though this was just speculation for now.
His focus returned to the tasks at hand.
Right now, he not only had to slay monsters but also buy a suitable weapon.
Could a kitchen knife kill monsters? Maybe he could find time to buy one from the supermarket.
"Xia Yanchun, got a question for you."
"Go ahead."
"If monsters existed in our world, what would be the closest thing to them?"
"Planning to write a novel or something?"
"Nah, just a random thought."
Xia Yanchun gave him a skeptical look but answered anyway, "Lions or tigers, I guess."
"So, if I took a kitchen knife into the wild to fight a tiger, what are my chances?"
"Three out of ten." Xia Yanchun added, "You’d slide under the tiger and feed it three-tenths full."
"Bullshit. If I went in full, I could feed it four-tenths."
"......"
At school, freshmen in military training uniforms were everywhere. Shen Nian groaned inwardly—looks like he wouldn’t be snagging the delicious roasted chicken legs in the cafeteria this week.
The education department had cracked down, forbidding high schools from starting early, so Shen Nian’s class had enjoyed a full fifty-day summer break.
Yesterday, during registration, homeroom teacher Su Kexi had mentioned rearranging seats, but for now, everyone was sitting in their old spots.
With fifty-one students in the class, one person always ended up sitting alone. As everyone knew, the single seat in high school meant space and freedom. Shen Nian, valuing comfort, had quietly asked Su Kexi to assign him the two desks by the window in the back row—effectively giving him a solo spot.
Xia Yanchun, being a top student, preferred sitting near the front.
Shen Nian, on the other hand, liked the back. He could study when he wanted or nap if he felt like it. As long as his book pile was tall enough, the teachers would turn a blind eye.
Just as he settled in, the guy in front of him turned around.
"Shen Nian, bro... I’ve thought about it for a long time, and I should just come clean."
The guy, Chen Dong, was a bit of a show-off, but his grades were decent.
Hearing the endless sorrow in his voice, Shen Nian was startled. "Did you get screwed over during summer break?"
"Screw you! I’m the one who got screwed!" Chen Dong’s expression shifted between emotions. "Just... make sure your personal life stays clean, alright?"
"Because of my messy lifestyle, I got tricked by some shady friends. I didn’t take any precautions before diving into some... stuff. And now, I can’t sleep, my emotions are wrecked, and I lost over a million this summer..."
"Damn, you got into drugs?"
Chen Dong was one of Shen Nian’s closest friends in class. He sighed, looking at Chen Dong with sympathy.
"It’s alright, bro. Just find yourself a girlfriend."
"Why?"
"So when you end up in rehab, I can take care of your wife for you."
"You bastard!"
Shen Nian straightened up, placed his bag on the other chair, and casually opened the window for fresh air.
The early September breeze was crisp, the sky an unusually clear blue.
"So, what exactly did you get hooked on?"
"Operation Eight-Treasure Porridge."
"?"
So it was just a gaming addiction. At least you’re not going to jail.
And here I was getting excited for nothing.
Shen Nian wasn’t ignoring Chen Dong—he just didn’t want to catch whatever brain rot he had.
How could two people with the same name, Chen Dong, be so different? One’s a genius, the other a certified idiot.
The gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth, and Chen Dong embodied it perfectly.
As Shen Nian organized his books, he gave Chen Dong’s chair a light kick—just because.
"What was that for?"
"Did you notice I got handsomer?" Shen Nian was still curious about the +1 Charm from his [Novice Adventurer] title.
"Nah. You were slightly less good-looking than me before, and you still are."
This kid couldn’t tell the truth if his life depended on it.
"What if I told you I helped an old lady cross the street just now?"
"Oh, my dear brother, you’re now slightly more handsome than me right after a shower."
"Typical gamer. Can’t even switch expressions without a cooldown."
The classroom gradually filled with more students. Shen Nian’s front row had two guys, while across the aisle sat a pair of girls.
He wasn’t thrilled with the seating arrangement—it felt restrictive.
If only he could swap Chen Dong for a girl. Heh.
Shen Nian got along with most of his classmates. While he was a homebody during breaks, once school started, he became the definition of a social butterfly—someone who could chat with anyone, guys or girls.
But even as a "central air conditioner," there were a few difficult personalities in class. He never bothered with them. No point.
After morning reading, there was a fifteen-minute break. Some students, still adjusting their sleep schedules, immediately face-planted on their desks the second the bell rang. Shen Nian, having deliberately fixed his sleep routine the night before, wasn’t tired at all.
"Bro, I rushed here and forgot to buy pens and notebooks," Chen Dong said, eyeing Shen Nian’s spinning pen.
"What kind of notebooks?"
"Just... notebooks?"
"Romance or sibling-themed?"
"Dong Zhuo."
Chen Dong said flatly.
Shen Nian: ?
Whose subordinate is this? A bit cursed. Recommend execution.
Still, Shen Nian hadn’t brought new stationery either, just old stuff from home. He got up and followed Chen Dong to the school store.
The freshmen were at a military training assembly, but the store was packed regardless.
Shen Nian and Chen Dong each grabbed some notebooks and pens, paying separately.
[Side Quest: Fully Prepared Before Departure (Completed). Reward: 1000 gold.]
Staring blankly at the sudden system notification, Shen Nian froze mid-transaction.
Chen Dong shoved him from behind, snapping him out of it as they squeezed out of the crowded store.
Shen Nian felt like he was starting to understand.
Enrolling for the new semester = becoming an adventurer.
Pens and notebooks = weapons to fight monsters.
As the ancients said: The exam hall is a battlefield, and the pen is your sword...
Holy hell, are homework and tests the "monsters" the system’s talking about?
The first two hints were pretty obvious. He wasn’t stupid—he could connect the dots.
Damn system, you sneaky little—
Yanxi Reminder: Due to Tomato’s request for 3 million+ daily visits straining the servers, we now recommend switching to other big shots’ sources.
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
] [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!"
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)
