I Have to Persevere. I'm a Person with Resolve and Determination

"This is so damn depressing! All my subject levels are at zero—what a pathetic score!"

Shen Qi quickly understood how the system worked. It was pretty much like playing a game, so he had no trouble figuring it out.

The system had currently unlocked the metrics for seven subjects, corresponding to the seven classes he had today.

Shen Qi had figured out the pattern: as long as he paid attention in class, he could earn Academic Points, whether or not he understood the lesson or how much of it he grasped.

Academic Points could be used for every subject. Shen Qi added all seven of his points to his Math Level, raising it to Level 0 (7/100).

In other words, once he added 100 Academic Points to his Math Level, his math would rise to Level 1 (Beginner).

By that calculation, if he paid attention in class for fifteen days straight, he could level up in math.

Fifteen days times six was ninety days. If he worked hard at his studies for ninety days, he could raise all six core subjects—Chinese, math, English, physics, chemistry, and biology—to Level 1.

Shen Qi saw hope. According to the system, Level 1, or beginner level, meant average high school performance in practice.

On the final exams for the first semester of his sophomore year, Shen Qi had ranked 47th in his class out of 48 students in the six subjects required for the college entrance exam. He was still some way below average.

If he could catch up to half the class in three months, Shen Qi would be perfectly satisfied.

"Academic Points, huh? I want more, more!" His enthusiasm for studying surged again, but there were only seven classes in a day.

System prompt: "The host can currently earn Academic Points in various ways, including but not limited to paying attention in class, doing exercises, and independent study."

"Oh, is that so? Then I'll do some problems!" Shen Qi wanted to level up his subjects as quickly as possible, so he took out a math workbook and started working. His homeroom teacher, Zhang Wanbang, taught math, and deep down, Shen Qi wanted to improve his math scores first.

After third-period history, most of the students in Class 2, Grade 11, had left. Only a few, including Shen Qi, remained.

Dinner was from five-thirty to seven, followed by evening self-study from seven to nine. That was the schedule for students living on campus.

Shen Qi rode his bike to school every day. He lived nearby and commuted from home, so he wasn't required to stay for evening self-study.

If he wanted to stay and study at school, nobody would tell him to leave.

Just as Shen Qi opened his math workbook, a boy came over and tapped on his desk. "Shen Qi, let's go. School's out."

Shen Qi shook his head. "Xu Rui, you go ahead. I'm staying for evening self-study."

The boy was Xu Rui, the one Zhang Wanbang had kicked out of the classroom during math that morning. His grades were bad too, and he and Shen Qi were in the same boat. Their shared fate as lousy students had deepened their friendship.

"Evening self-study? Have you lost your mind? You're living at school now?" Xu Rui asked in confusion.

"I'm not living at school."

"Then what the hell are you staying for? Come on, let's find somewhere with Wi-Fi to eat, then play ranked duos." Xu Rui was a gaming addict too, so he and Shen Qi had plenty in common.

"Teacher Zhang confiscated my phone."

"Shen Qi, you've got to be more careful. What high school student doesn't have a phone these days? As long as you don't use it right in front of the teachers, they turn a blind eye. Come on, Shen Qi. I've got two phones—you can use mine to log in to your game account."

"Xu Rui, will you quit nagging me? I already told you I'm studying."

"Are you sick or something, Shen Qi?" Xu Rui reached over to feel his forehead. "No fever. Your temperature's normal."

"I've quit gaming. Stop trying to tempt me. I'm not going with you." Shen Qi sat perfectly still, utterly determined.

"Fine, fine. Go study, then. I want to see what you manage to accomplish!" No matter how hard Xu Rui tried to pull him away, Shen Qi wouldn't budge. Xu Rui left the classroom by himself.

Shen Qi wasn't very hungry, so he started working on his math exercises.

The very first problem stumped him.

"As shown in the figure, in the pyramid P-ABCD, AB∥CD, ∠BAP=∠CDP=90°;"

"1. Prove that plane PAB is perpendicular to plane PAD."

"2. If PA=PD=AB=DC and ∠APD=90°, find the cosine of the dihedral angle A-PB-C."

Shen Qi scratched his head, unable to put pen to paper.

Zhang Wanbang had already finished teaching solid geometry in the second semester of Grade 10. Back then, Shen Qi had been busy trying to reach the highest rank in his game, and hadn't spent any time listening to Teacher Zhang's lessons.

Since he couldn't solve the problem, all he could do was look through his textbook. Shen Qi dug out his Grade 10 math book and reviewed the key concepts of solid geometry.

After quickly reviewing solid geometry, Shen Qi realized he still couldn't solve the problem right away.

That was how math worked. One theorem or formula could lead to countless problems. If you couldn't grasp the underlying logic, you still wouldn't be able to find the right answer even with the textbook in front of you.

"Damn, this is so frustrating. I can't even solve the problem with the textbook right in front of me." Shen Qi had spent the whole day wavering between pressing forward and backing down. He wanted to improve his grades, but the harsh reality was that turning from a lousy student into a top student wouldn't happen overnight.

The urge to give up began to creep in. Shen Qi even thought about leaving the classroom to find Xu Rui and play games.

Gaming was so easy. Studying was exhausting and miserable by comparison.

"No. I have to persevere. I'm a person with resolve and determination!"

Shen Qi found the solution to the geometry problem and copied it out.

Copying solutions was a way to learn too. He could see how the model answer laid out its reasoning.

Before he knew it, it was nine o'clock. Shen Qi had flipped through his textbook and copied out the solutions to more than ten problems, including solid geometry, functions, and programming blocks.

The host studied a math textbook independently for three and a half hours and earned 2 Academic Points.

The host worked on math exercises for three and a half hours and earned 1 Academic Point.

The host has earned a total of 10 Academic Points on the first day, completing a hidden Newbie task. As a special reward, the host receives one Newbie Gift Pack. Good luck!

Just as evening self-study was about to end, the system flashed a string of messages.

"Whoa, a bonus!" Shen Qi felt a little comforted. So he could earn Academic Points by studying textbooks on his own and doing exercises by copying the answers.

A new item, "Newbie Gift Pack," had appeared in the system interface.

The instructions for using the "Newbie Gift Pack" read: "Open me, hurry up and open me!"

"Fine, I'll open you! Open the gift pack!" Shen Qi gladly accepted.

System: Newbie Gift Pack successfully opened... Congratulations, host! You have received one 1888 Rebate Coupon!

[1888 Rebate Coupon]: Use to immediately receive 1888 Academic Points.

"Awesome! Use the [1888 Rebate Coupon] right away."

Shen Qi exchanged the coupon for 1888 Academic Points, then used 93 of them to raise his Math Level.

Math Level increased to Level 1 (0/1000).

System prompt: Congratulations! Your Math Level has risen to Level 1. Your reasoning, insight, judgment, and memory in the field of mathematics have all greatly improved compared to Level 0.

"Wahaha, I leveled up!" Shen Qi was thrilled.

System sends its congratulations: Congratulations on leveling up in a single subject on your first day! You're one step closer to your little goal of becoming the strongest top student on this planet!

"Keep up the good work and press forward! A new task has been issued."

New task: Before graduating from high school, raise at least one of the seven subjects unlocked on your first day to Level 5.

Complete the task to receive a generous reward. Fail, and you will be punished: all of the host's subject levels will be reset to zero, and any remaining Academic Points will be erased. In addition, the host will enter a weakened state, losing the ability to move due to weakness in all four limbs. This will last for six months.

Good luck.

Shen Qi was stunned. "Holy crap, Level 5? Professional level! You want me to reach professional level before I graduate from high school? That's way too hard! And the punishment is especially cruel. I have to ask, have you possessed Hawking too?"