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—
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