Pummel

"Luo Feng, the college entrance exams are coming up soon. Which school are you planning to apply to?" Sett had read the original story, so he already knew Luo Feng was planning to apply to Jiangnan First Military Academy.

When the bell rang, Sett went over to chat with Luo Feng and build their friendship.

"I'm planning to apply to Jiangnan First Military Academy, so my father can move into the family housing complex, too." Luo Feng went on, "Even if things don't go too well, I can settle for the Second Military Academy. What about you?"

"Me? You know what my grades are like. Pretty average. I'll just work hard and try to become a Martial Artist."

As Sett and Luo Feng chatted, Luo Feng kept glancing at Xu Xin, who was quietly reading.

"If you like her, go ask her out. Why keep sneaking looks? I'm not just saying this, but we're about to graduate. It'd be a shame if you went your separate ways and regretted it." Seeing Luo Feng sneak a look at Xu Xin, Sett couldn't help encouraging him.

"What? Don't say stuff like that. I don't..." Luo Feng said, embarrassed.

"Look at you. You're blushing," Sett teased.

In Sett's previous life, dating was forbidden while you were in school. Then, once you finally graduated and got settled, your family would start pushing you to go on blind dates.

It was as if you'd lost the right to fall in love. Blind dates had a very clear purpose: marriage.

It was hard to find a sweet romance. Luckily, high schools here mostly didn't interfere with dating, and people generally got married earlier than they had thirty years ago.

"Xu Xin, tomorrow's the weekend. I bought tickets to the latest Transformers 15 4D movie. Want to go see it together?"

A young man who'd just walked into the classroom addressed Xu Xin.

"No. I have to study tomorrow," Xu Xin replied without even looking up from her book.

"Don't be so cold. If you don't want to see a movie, we can go shopping or get our first milk tea of the summer." The young man didn't seem bothered by her rejection and shamelessly pressed on.

"Hey, Luo Feng, looks like you've got a rival," Sett said, poking him.

"I said I'm not going. Stop pestering me, Zhang Haobai," Xu Xin rejected him again.

"Damn, it's Zhang Haobai, that rich kid. If you don't make a move now, you'll lose your chance, Luo Feng."

Zhang Haobai's face paled at such a blunt rejection. He usually got whatever girl he set his sights on.

That was mainly because his family was wealthy, and his uncle was a Martial Artist who was especially fond of him.

The angrier Zhang Haobai got, the more he lost his temper. He grabbed Xu Xin's hand and said, "It's settled, then. My uncle's a Martial Artist, and my dad runs a big company. You won't regret being my girlfriend."

Zhang Haobai had no idea that Xu Xin was the eldest daughter of the Xu Family, a member of the HR Alliance. She certainly wasn't short on money.

"Let go!" Seeing Zhang Haobai manhandling her, Luo Feng rushed over.

"Oh, playing the hero? With a poor guy like you? Forget it." Zhang Haobai kept hold of Xu Xin's hand and turned to mock Luo Feng.

"Know your place. Since when do poor people deserve love? Don't make me laugh."

Just as Luo Feng was about to make a move, Sett strode over, grabbed Zhang Haobai by the shirt, and tossed him straight out the door.

With a thud, Zhang Haobai flew in an arc and landed at the doorway with a shrill yell.

"Will you quit it already? This isn't a marketplace. You're making a racket. She's not interested, but you keep clinging to her."

Zhang Haobai had been tossed out like a piece of trash. As a rich kid who'd been pampered his whole life, he'd never suffered such humiliation.

But he was also secretly shocked. They were both advanced students, yet Sett had thrown him out so effortlessly. Sett's strength was probably close to breaking through to Martial Artist level.

"You... just you wait. I'll teach you a lesson!" Zhang Haobai knew better than to pick a fight he couldn't win. He left after making his threat.

"I'll get my revenge before the day's over. If I don't find someone to deal with Sett, I'm not Zhang Haobai!"

"Why waste your breath on a guy like that? He thinks having a little money makes him so important. And he even brags about his uncle being a Martial Artist." Sett dusted off his hands and turned to Luo Feng.

"Thanks for stepping in. Why don't I treat you both to dinner after school?" Xu Xin said quickly.

"Heh, I've got plans after school. You go with Luo Feng. You can get to know each other over dinner." Sett decided to give his good buddy a chance.

"This..."

The class bell rang, breaking the awkward silence.

"Luo Feng, I have a secret to tell you." After lunch, the two of them wandered around the sports field. Sett spoke up.

"Yeah? Go ahead," Luo Feng replied.

"I know you like Xu Xin, but I have to warn you: she's the daughter of the Xu Family, part of the HR Alliance."

"What? How's that possible?" Luo Feng said incredulously.

The HR Alliance was the wealthiest organization in the world, especially influential in Europe and America. It also had countless Martial Artists under its banner.

The Xu Family was part of the HR Alliance. Zhang Haobai's father was no match for them—not even if there were a hundred or a thousand of him.

"She's from the Xu Family. You don't think getting into a good school will be enough to win her over, do you? Even if she agrees, what about her family? Would they really let her marry an ordinary guy?"

"Right. Then what should I do?" Luo Feng fell silent for a moment, then suddenly brightened. "I know—become a Martial Artist. In this world, strength comes first. The stronger I get, the better my chances."

Hong and Thor were the two strongest people on the planet. They were not only powerful, but had also opened martial arts schools all over the world. No one dared to slight them—that was the benefit of strength.

"I won't apply to military school. I'll train hard and become a Martial Artist instead."

"Exactly. I was thinking the same thing. Then we can go to the Wilderness Zone together and hunt monsters, just the two of us. Wouldn't that be great?" Seeing Luo Feng's resolve to get stronger take shape, Sett was pleased.

In the original story, Luo Feng had initially only wanted to improve his family's living conditions, so he planned to apply to Jiangnan First Military Academy. Who knew that he'd pass out during the college entrance exams, his strength would skyrocket, and he'd become a Martial Artist?

But if this made Luo Feng less stressed about the exams, could he avoid passing out and delay his breakthrough? Sett realized that this was a serious problem.

After all, Luo Feng had a dark gold sphere in his mind. Passing out once could greatly increase his strength.

Sett said, "But you still have to take the college entrance exams seriously. At the very least, you have to do justice to twelve years of hard study—and it'll be a chance to start a new chapter in our lives."

"Yeah!"

"Go have dinner with Xu Xin tonight. She doesn't seem to dislike you, either. Put some pressure on yourself—that's what drives you to improve."

After school, Luo Feng nervously invited Xu Xin to dinner. Sett couldn't think of anything better to do, so he went to train at the martial arts school.

Ah, there wasn't even League of Legends to play. So annoying!

"School's out. Why aren't you with Luo Feng?" The speaker was Yang Wu, a scar-faced man and an unlucky advanced student.

"Don't ask. He went on a date. I'm his good buddy, but I'm just a backup. Now that he doesn't need me, he's tossed me aside," Sett joked.

"Brother Yang, you sure work hard. You're at the martial arts school every day."

"Don't remind me. I'm trying to become a Martial Artist. I don't have a job right now, and if I don't become one soon, my wife's going to blow a fuse. She works to support me and our kid. It's like I'm being kept." Yang Wu scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

"Don't worry, Brother Yang. Once you become a Martial Artist, you can move your family into Mingyue Residential Quarter. Your wife's investment will definitely pay off."

"You young people sure know how to flatter someone. Though I'm not that much older than you, haha." Yang Wu was always joking around, too.

After chatting briefly, the two went back to training.

"When I tested yesterday, both my punching strength and speed cleared the Martial Artist threshold. I wonder if that counts as Apprentice Level. I'll see if I can use Pummel." Sett thought.

Sett walked up to the Punch Strength Tester and checked that no one was nearby.

He silently thought, Pummel!

A faint golden glow appeared around Sett's fists, and he felt a surge of strength. He quickly threw two punches at the machine.

2560 kg!

2420 kg!

Each punch registered over two thousand kilograms of force, nearly dropping Sett's jaw.

But after the two punches, the golden glow vanished from his hands. It seemed Pummel could double his strength.

After the test, Sett was thrilled. He trained a little longer, said goodbye to Yang Wu, and went home.

"Whew, becoming a Martial Artist is all but certain. Once Luo Feng has Martial Artist-level strength, I'll go with him to take the qualifying test."

"Mom, I'm home." As Sett stepped inside, he suddenly realized he'd forgotten to apologize to his teacher today.

"Wash your hands and bring out the dishes. Xiahai, dinner's ready. What's so good about soap operas? I don't even watch them, and you're a grown man who loves them." Jin Wenying couldn't help ribbing Xiahai, who was engrossed in a soap opera.

"What's wrong with soap operas? Who says they're just for women? I don't smoke or drink. Watching TV is my hobby." Xiahai turned off the television and walked over to the dining table, about to sit down.

"Go on, go wash your hands."

After dinner, Sett couldn't think of anything to do, so he decided to take a stroll and see what the world looked like thirty years later.

"So you're Sett, huh? Be smart and come with us. We'll see how tough you are." By sheer coincidence, Sett got surrounded by a group of thugs on the way.

Sett wasn't afraid. He had a Martial Artist's strength now, and he could use Pummel, so he simply followed them into a nearby alley.

"Anyone want to back out before we start?" Sett rolled his neck, cracked his knuckles, and asked as he warmed up.

"You're just a kid, but you sure love acting tough. Get him!" the thug leader shouted.

Five of the thugs were intermediate students, with punching strength above 300 kilograms. 600 kilograms made you an advanced student. Three others were advanced students.

One of them was the thug leader, while the other two had been paid to back him up.

Pummel!

A faint golden glow appeared around Sett's hands. He threw a left hook at the first thug charging toward him.

Thump! The thug flew several meters away as if he'd been hit by a car.

Sett followed with a right hook, knocking another thug flying.

"Boss, that guy looks pretty strong. What do we do? Should we make a run for it?"

"Run for it, my ass! Get him!" The thug leader slapped his underling on the head, then charged in himself.

They said that overwhelming strength could overcome any technique. Sett didn't know any fighting techniques, but his strength and speed far surpassed those thugs.

In no time, all five intermediate-level thugs were on the ground. One of the advanced students who'd been watching from the sidelines realized something was wrong and ran off.

The other one saw his teammate flee and hurried after him.

"Damn cowards. They took the money and didn't do a thing." The thug leader saw the two men he'd hired run off and cursed.

"Damn it, wait for me!" The thug leader wasn't stupid. He turned to run, too.

"Oh, you think you can come and go as you please? Get back here!" Sett saw the leader trying to escape and grabbed him.

"Tell me, who sent you?"

"It was me. I didn't like you," the thug leader replied, trying to sound brave.

"Damn it, you're still lying?" Sett realized he wouldn't get anything out of him. He silently thought, Pummel!

Golden light appeared around Sett's right hand, and he was about to smash it into the thug leader's face.

The thug leader was so terrified he wet himself, and a foul stench filled the air. "I'll talk! I'm sorry, boss, I'll tell you. I was paid to do it. It was that bastard Zhou Huayang."

"Zhou Huayang?"

"Yeah, yeah, boss, it was him! Let me go. I had no idea who you were. Here's the ten thousand he gave me. You can have it all."

"Hmph. Take your men and get lost!"

The thugs helped each other up and disappeared in moments.

I remember now. Zhou Huayang and Zhang Haobai are connected.

"Heh. As expected, the biggest fist makes the rules."