I Won't Keep Losing Forever!

He took out the Fine-level longsword Jiang Shuyue had given him earlier from the Storage Space in his Profession Panel.

"Here, take it back."

He held the sword out to her.

Jiang Shuyue raised her head. Her swollen, reddened eyes looked at him, then at the sword, but she did not take it.

"What do you mean by this?"

Her voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Do you think my things aren't worthy of being used by you?"

"You're impressive now. You've got Rare-level equipment, so you look down on this little bit of mine now, is that it?"

Her words were barbed.

Yang Yu frowned.

"That's not what I meant."

He said calmly, "I have a better weapon now. Keeping this sword with me would just be a waste."

"You should take it back, sell it, or give it to someone else. Anything would be better than letting it gather dust with me."

"Besides, I'm very grateful to you. Without this sword, clearing the Dungeon would have taken me a lot more effort. If there's ever a Dungeon or Job Transfer Mission you can't get through, you can come find me! I'll help you!"

He was telling the truth.

He truly was grateful to Jiang Shuyue.

But to Jiang Shuyue, it carried another meaning.

Showing off.

Blatant, naked showing off.

Not only was he showing off, he was rubbing her face in it.

Look at that—your one chance in this life to surpass me! You wasted it yourself.

If you hadn't supported me, the one breaking the record would definitely have been you!

"I don't need your pity!"

Jiang Shuyue abruptly shoved his hand away. The longsword fell to the ground with a clang.

"Yang Yu, just you wait! I said I'll definitely surpass you!"

"I lost today, but I won't keep losing forever!"

"We'll see!"

With that, she ran off without looking back.

Yang Yu looked at the sword on the ground, then at her retreating figure, and shook his head helplessly.

This woman's competitive streak was so strong it was practically pathological.

He bent down, picked up the longsword, and put it back into his Profession Panel's Storage Space.

Forget it. He would find another chance to return it to her later.

He had more important things to do now.

Level up.

Not only to make himself stronger.

But also to catch up to that woman.

Though she was only three years older than him, she had taken great care of him when he was younger in this world.

Now that he had awakened an absurdly powerful talent like Two Hundredfold Effort, he finally had the ability to protect her.

He wanted to go to the Imperial Capital, to her side.

This was not merely about following in her footsteps. It was also so that, in the future, he could stand in front of her and shield her from the wind and rain.

However, the university she attended was Imperial Capital University.

Getting admitted was no easy task.

Imperial Capital University stood at the very peak of Dragon Country's Professional education system.

To obtain that ticket of admission, the most basic requirement was reaching Level 30.

Those four words were like a heavy mountain pressing down on the hearts of every senior high school student aspiring to attend.

Level 30 meant completing the first job transfer and becoming a Bronze Professional.

Yang Yu could not afford to waste another moment.

The competition for that university could no longer be described as fierce. It was downright brutal.

Countless children from wealthy families had their families spend vast sums to hire high-level War Bands to carry them through monster grinding like nannies.

These Professionals force-grown in greenhouses had atrocious combat skills and relied entirely on levels and equipment piled onto them, yet they were precisely the ones with astonishingly high odds of getting into top universities.

Resources, in this era, were practically synonymous with the future.

And Yang Yu had nothing.

His only capital was himself, along with his secret talent of Two Hundredfold Effort.

Therefore, he had to make every minute and every second count.

Just as he was about to plan out his future leveling route, the Personal Terminal on his wrist vibrated. A familiar name flashed across the screen.

Yang Yan.

It was a call from his sister.

Yang Yu took a deep breath and answered.

A mature female voice, slightly lazy yet full of pressure, came through the terminal as though she were speaking directly into his ear.

"Xiao Yu, the awakening ceremony is over, right? How did it go? What heavenly profession did you awaken? Tell your sister and make me happy too."

Yang Yan's tone was full of anticipation.

Yang Yu swallowed, his voice somewhat dry. "Sis... I'm a Warrior."

"A Warrior? Warriors are great! Warriors are fierce! What rank?"

"D-Rank..." Yang Yu practically squeezed the words out through clenched teeth.

The other end of the call instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Even the faint hiss of static seemed to vanish.

Yang Yu could even imagine the stunned expression on the face of his sister, who was usually impossibly beautiful and carried herself with overwhelming presence.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

"D-Rank is D-Rank. What's there to be afraid of? It's no big deal!"

Yang Yan's voice regained its composure, but it carried a madness that made Yang Yu's scalp tingle.

"Xiao Yu, listen to me. There's a surgery in the Imperial Capital Black Market called Dragon Blood Modification. It can directly refine a Professional's physical potential and forcibly raise your Warrior potential to A-Rank! Don't worry about the money or connections. Your sister has already arranged everything for you!"

Yang Yu's face went pale at once, and fine beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead.

Dragon Blood Modification?

He knew about that surgery. Although it could greatly increase one's attributes, the modified body would develop certain dragon-like traits.

Some people grew scales on their bodies, while others even sprouted dragon horns.

An even more fatal flaw was that, like dragons, they would be unable to stand going a day without doing that sort of thing.

He refused to become some animal that thought with its lower half!

"Sis! No! Don't!" Yang Yu's voice cracked as he shouted anxiously. "I don't need that! I can rely on myself!"

"Rely on yourself?"

Yang Yan's voice suddenly rose, tinged with furious frustration. "Xiao Yu, you're my brother! How can my brother, Yang Yan's brother, be D-Rank? Do you know what it means to be a D-Rank Professional? It means you could be stuck at Level 30 for the rest of your life! It means you might never even touch the gates of a university! It means people will trample you beneath their feet, and you'll never be able to turn things around!"

"Sis, I really can..."

"What can you do!"

Yang Yan cut him off roughly. "I watched you grow up. Do you think I don't know what kind of personality you have? You're stubborn and you always get trapped in your own thoughts! I'm telling you, there's no room for discussion! I'll be back next weekend, and I'm taking you to see the doctor!"

"I said no!" Yang Yu's temper flared as well. He shot to his feet and growled, "Yang Yan! Can't you trust me just once! Just once! If I say I can get into Imperial Capital University, then I'll definitely get in! I don't need your crooked methods!"

Silence fell on the other end again.

After a long while, Yang Yan's voice finally came through, carrying a hint of compromise.

"...Fine. I won't force you."

"But in one month, the national exam will begin. If you haven't reached Level 25 by then, you'll have to listen to me."

"That's my bottom line."

"And make sure you keep wearing the terminal I gave you at all times!"

Without giving Yang Yu any chance to argue, she hung up with a smack.

Yang Yu gripped his Personal Terminal, his palm covered in sweat.

He slumped back into his chair, but warmth surged through his heart.

That was his sister: an unhinged woman with her aggression dialed to the max.

Her concern was always so overbearing, so... terrifying.

And he had not even gotten the chance to tell her the good news he had prepared...

So he had to succeed.

Otherwise, that terrifying woman would really tie him up and drag him off for that surgery.

Just then, a figure approached from the distance.

It was one of the school's teachers, personally delivering his reward in an exquisite metal case.

After thanking the teacher, he opened the case without hesitation. Inside lay a black metal suit of armor that radiated a heavy aura, along with a cash card worth one hundred thousand.

[Black Iron Barrier]

[Type: Rare-level Armor]

[Required Level: Non-Existence]

[Defense: +150]

[Constitution: +20]

[Effect: Tenacity. Physical damage taken is reduced by 10%.]

Good stuff!

Yang Yu's eyes lit up.

150 points of defense, 20 points of Constitution, and a damage-reduction effect!

These attributes were enough to crush Fine-level equipment of the same level on the market. Rare-level equipment truly lived up to its name.

He immediately put the equipment on, and an overwhelming sense of security washed over him.