"You'd better get ready to be my maid."
Shiina lifted her chin, smiling brightly.
Part of the reason she'd agreed to Xia Mu's bet was that she wanted to motivate him to improve his grades.
She didn't want him to get expelled. It had taken her long enough to find a friend she got along with so well.
"By the way, Shiina, how many points do you usually get on exams?" On their way back, Xia Mu walked alongside Shiina.
"Oh, over ninety, I guess?" Shiina replied modestly.
"I see. That's a bit of a headache, then." Xia Mu rested his index finger against his chin.
It looked like it'd be hard to avoid drawing attention.
But when he thought about it, Shiina had agreed to his bet so confidently, so of course her grades had to be good.
Now that she'd confidently told Xia Mu she could get over ninety, she'd probably score at least ninety-five when it came to the actual exam.
That meant Xia Mu would need to get at least ninety-five in every subject. That would put him in the top five in Class D, at the very least.
"Hmph, scared now? Then just come to me for tutoring."
Shiina gave a proud little huff. "I'll pretend that bet you made earlier was a joke."
"No, the bet's already on. You can't take it back."
Xia Mu smiled. "Besides, I'm looking forward to seeing how cute and embarrassed you'll look, Shiina."
With that, Xia Mu quickly walked into the Class D classroom, leaving Shiina standing there, stunned, her cheeks burning. "Could Xia Mu really beat me?"
She'd asked some students in Class D, and Xia Mu didn't seem to study very hard in class!
Well, there's no point in overthinking it. I'd better start studying hard from now on!
If I really lose and have to honor the bet, I'll want to crawl into a hole and disappear.
Back in the classroom, Xia Mu rested his chin in his hand, expressionless, and gazed out the window at the cherry blossoms beginning to bloom.
It's May already. So boring.
"Maybe I should learn a skill."
The idea came to him out of nowhere.
At the moment, his fist techniques were coming along, his computer skills were pretty good, his magical attacks were decent, and his everyday skills were fine too.
What else am I missing...
He racked his brain, wondering what he should learn.
Having too many Skill Points was its own kind of problem.
Sigh.
After Sakura Airi's Correction progress increased, he'd gained quite a few Skill Points.
And after he'd made Kushida lose her composure last time, his long-stagnant Correction progress had actually gone up. He'd gained about ten more Skill Points.
He had around one hundred and fifty in total now.
That worked out to roughly a hundred and fifty years' worth.
But Xia Mu had discovered a little quirk in how Skill Points were used.
For example, after learning Wing Chun, the number of Skill Points needed to learn Boxing dropped dramatically.
It seemed the cost of learning a skill depended on his current abilities.
If he kept building on what he knew, he'd eventually become an all-around expert.
And not just an expert—he'd be at the top of every field.
"Hmm..."
I'm strong enough on land. I should learn something for underwater, too.
Swimming. You're up!
After watching instructional videos for about an hour, Xia Mu spent twenty Skill Points and maxed out his Swimming skill.
[Swimming skill maxed out] [You can switch between any swimming styles: Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Doggy Paddle] [Spend ten Skill Points to modify the Swimming skill.] [You have obtained the Mermaid title] [You have obtained the Diving skill and the Underwater Breathing skill] [Your stamina has greatly increased due to the skills you have learned]
One screen after another flashed past as Xia Mu's body underwent an unprecedented enhancement.
He became more sensitive to the air around him. He could even filter out the impurities caused by students secretly farting nearby.
Each breath in and out formed a perfect cycle.
If he ran a marathon, Xia Mu felt like he could keep going endlessly, like a perpetual-motion machine—as long as his body could hold out.
The comfortable sensation made him let out an involuntary "Mmm~" of pleasure.
His lewd expression made Suzune, sitting to his left, wrinkle her brows in disgust and shift her bottom a little farther away from him.
Xia Mu ignored the way Suzune was looking at him like he was a pervert.
To be honest, he wasn't far off.
Not a pervert in the usual sense, of course. His body had just undergone some bizarre enhancements.
"I never expected the Swimming skill to give me so many improvements after being modified!"
Xia Mu's eyes lit up. He hadn't seen that coming.
What would happen if I learned a few more fist techniques, like Tai Chi and Inch Punch?
"Gulp..."
He swallowed, tempted.
Should I spend another fifty Skill Points to learn these two techniques and master them?
Xia Mu had wanted to learn Tai Chi for a while, but the Skill Point cost was just too high.
Starting from scratch would take a full fifty Skill Points.
Now that he'd learned Wing Chun and Boxing, the cost had dropped to thirty.
Tai Chi emphasized yielding to force and overcoming strength with weakness. When your strength or some other attribute was inferior to your opponent's, you could use its special techniques to fight back.
It could be called the pinnacle of fist techniques.
As for Inch Punch, it was a skill with incredible explosive power. A full-force punch could break someone's ribs.
Suzune watched Xia Mu's eyes suddenly glow red, as if he were watching some kind of adult video.
Curious, she glanced at Xia Mu's phone.
She'd assumed he was watching something unsuitable for minors, but it turned out to be a boxing video?
She could understand getting excited over adult videos, but how could boxing get him worked up like that...
He really was a pervert.
She suddenly felt uncomfortable all over and rubbed her arms.
No wonder he'd been assigned to Class D. There really wasn't a single decent person in Class D.
"Learn them!"
Xia Mu had no idea that Suzune Horikita now thought he was a pervert.
He hesitated for just one second before deciding to learn Tai Chi and Inch Punch.
After all, he could earn more Skill Points later. He could get stronger right now!
[You spent thirty Skill Points. Tai Chi has evolved into a modified version] [You have gained the ability Four Ounces Deflects a Thousand Pounds, allowing you to withstand an opponent's attack with one-tenth their strength] [You spent twenty Skill Points. Inch Punch has evolved into a modified version] [You have gained the skill Super Burst. Your punches can unleash ten times your strength] [As you have learned a large number of fist techniques, quantity has led to a qualitative change] [You have obtained a unique golden skill—True Fist] [True Fist: There is no longer any living creature on Earth that can withstand one of your punches head-on!]
"Awesome!!!"
The sudden surge of violent power made Xia Mu shout out. He'd only given the desk a light slap.
"Bang! Crack!!"
The desk shattered instantly, scattering across the floor.
The noise immediately drew every student's attention.
When they turned around, Xia Mu's desk had been reduced to powder, drifting through the middle of the classroom.
Everyone was stunned, utterly speechless with shock.
Even Ayanokoji wore an incredulous, astonished expression.
His heart, long calm and still, finally began pounding wildly. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't calm it down.
Horikita had witnessed the whole thing. Her hand trembled as she held her book, and her small face was covered in fear.
What was that?
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