After accepting that damn Free Soul mission, Lin Kun was on edge all day. He spaced out in class, choked while eating, and nearly shoved a broom into Tang San's face while cleaning, drawing a puzzled look from him.
No, short-term pain is better than long-term pain! I have to finish this mission as soon as possible and get that "Presence Reduction" Buff. Otherwise, I'll either scare myself to death sooner or later, or Tang San will think I'm suspicious! Lin Kun made up his mind.
An opportunity soon came. After the afternoon Martial Soul theory class ended, most of the students had yet to leave the classroom. They gathered in little groups of three or five to discuss the lesson, easily totaling more than ten people.
This was it! Lin Kun took a deep breath, his heart pounding. Pretending to tie his shoelaces, he crouched in the aisle at the back of the classroom, where there was relatively more open space.
For the points! For the Buff! Let's go! Lin Kun encouraged himself inwardly, though he had no idea what "let's go" even meant, before suddenly springing to his feet!
Under the bewildered gazes of the entire class—including the teacher organizing his lesson plans—Lin Kun's body suddenly twisted in an incredibly stiff yet rapid motion. His right shoulder thrust forward as he performed a vaguely recognizable, awkwardly powerful Iron Mountain Lean! At the same time, his lips moved soundlessly and rapidly, clearly forming the words: "Ji Ni Tai Mei"!
The entire classroom instantly fell silent.
Every student stared at him in stunned disbelief, as though they were watching an idiot who had suddenly suffered some kind of episode.
The teacher at the podium pushed up his glasses and asked in confusion, "Student Lin Kun? Are you... feeling unwell? Do you need to go to the infirmary?"
Tang San furrowed his brow, the confusion in his eyes reaching its peak. Xiao Wu froze at first, then covered her mouth as her shoulders shook violently, clearly struggling to hold back her laughter. Even Ning Rongrong, seated in the front row, turned around. Her beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief and a hint of... amusement at the spectacle?
Lin Kun's face instantly turned as red as a monkey's butt. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into a crack in the ground! Social death! Absolute, utter social death!
He stood stiffly where he was, his mind blank, and could only shake his head mechanically. "N-No, I'm fine, Teacher! I... I got a leg cramp! Just stretching it out! Yes! Stretching it out!" With that, he shuffled awkwardly toward the classroom exit, moving his arms and legs in sync and drawing a wave of whispers and suppressed laughter.
Ding! Random mission Free Soul completed! Reward: 50 Plot Breakdown Points. "Presence Reduction" Buff (duration: one hour) is now active.
The system notification sounded like heavenly music, finally bringing a sliver of comfort to Lin Kun's shattered heart.
He rushed out of the classroom, feeling as if the entire world was steeped in embarrassment. But strangely, when he ran down the corridor, nobody seemed to pay him any particular attention. The occasional student glanced at him, only to quickly look away, as if he were merely an irrelevant part of the background.
The Buff is working? Lin Kun's heart stirred. He tried walking past two girls who were chatting, and sure enough, they showed no reaction at all, continuing their discussion about the latest skirt designs.
"Amazing! This Buff is ridiculously effective!" Lin Kun was overjoyed, and the shame from moments ago was instantly replaced by novelty. Like a child who had received a new toy, he began "testing" the Buff around the academy.
He wandered onto the training field and passed by a group undergoing physical training; no one looked at him. He ran outside the Academic Affairs Office window and peeked inside, but the teachers within did not even raise their heads. He even boldly wandered near the girls' dormitory—purely for testing purposes!—only for a sharp-eyed female teacher to instinctively sense that "something seemed to have passed by" and glare in his direction, frightening him into making a quick escape.
"Impressive! Although the effect is reduced against people with greater strength or sharper instincts, it's absolutely top-tier for sneaking around and avoiding trouble!" Lin Kun was extremely satisfied with this reward.
An hour soon passed, and his presence returned to normal. In high spirits, Lin Kun headed back while considering how to spend those fifty points. As he passed the academy bulletin board, he saw that bizarre new school rule again, but this time, he was in such a good mood that he even felt like laughing.
"Hmph, rules are dead, but people are alive. With my system Buff, I can do whatever I want... though it's best to do fewer things that lead to social death." He muttered under his breath, then returned to the Seventh Dormitory while whistling—a normal whistle this time.
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