After a peaceful night, Yi Chen slowly climbed out of bed.
He picked up his phone and took a look.
A pile of unread emails:
"Yi Chen, did you get back to your dorm?"
"Yi Chen? Your boyfriend?"
"Good night, Yi Chen."
"I had such a great time today. Thank you, Yi Chen."
Yi Chen stared at his phone, unable to believe it. He slapped his own cheek.
He hurriedly replied:
"11111"
"Sorry, Ichinose. I fell asleep yesterday."
"I'm getting ready for class now. Call me if you need anything."
Even after replying to Ichinose, Yi Chen still could hardly believe it.
Yi Chen got up and left. Ken Sudō happened to come by to walk to class with him.
The two chatted as they walked, while Yi Chen checked his phone from time to time.
Just as expected.
Ichinose replied:
"Good morning, Yi Chen."
They traded a few messages back and forth.
Ken Sudō watched Yi Chen, who was usually so expressionless, now smiling as he typed away.
Curious, Ken Sudō leaned closer. Yi Chen gave him a cold look and asked:
"What's wrong?"
Ken Sudō scratched his head, put an arm around Yi Chen, and grinned.
"You've got a spring in your step, Yi Chen. What's up, did you get a girlfriend?"
Yi Chen felt a little awkward and answered casually:
"Yeah. Is it that obvious?"
Ken Sudō quickly let go of him, stunned.
"What! You got a girlfriend already? Are you kidding me? Yi Chen, are you serious?"
Yi Chen smiled at Ken Sudō.
Ken Sudō slapped his forehead, suddenly understanding.
"Right, Yi Chen's so handsome and such a good guy. It's only natural you'd get a girlfriend."
Ken Sudō immediately drooped.
"When am I ever going to find a girlfriend?"
"Oh, right. Is your girlfriend Kushida?"
Yi Chen replied flatly:
"No. It's Ichinose, from Class B."
Ken Sudō was stunned all over again.
"What? Ichinose from Class B? Yi Chen, you're incredible."
"When did you two meet? You're already dating?"
Yi Chen answered evenly:
"We met not long ago. She's really beautiful, isn't she?"
They kept up their casual conversation.
Soon they reached the classroom and sat down. Kushida didn't greet Yi Chen first today, either.
As he attended class, Yi Chen thought about Angel's task. He asked Angel when the task would begin.
He didn't get a clear answer and could only decide for himself.
The afternoon soon came to an end. Yi Chen sat quietly at his desk, waiting for a message from Ichinose.
Ken Sudō came over and invited him to dinner. Yi Chen told Ken Sudō what he had in mind.
Ken Sudō shed envious tears, then took Yamauchi and the other guy with him.
Ichinose soon replied:
"Yi Chen, I'm done with class. I have club activities this afternoon. Want to grab dinner at a Chinese restaurant once I'm finished?"
Yi Chen happily replied:
"Sure. I'll wait for you."
Yi Chen tidied up and headed to the Chinese restaurant to see what the situation was.
As he strolled across campus, a few familiar faces appeared ahead.
A tall Black guy, a blond guy, and Ibuki Mio?
Soon, they were right in front of Yi Chen. Ibuki Mio recognized him and glanced his way, then avoided his eyes.
She slowly lowered her head.
The blond guy at the front spoke up arrogantly:
"You're Angela from Class D, Yi Chen. You set our guys up over the Ken Sudō incident last time, didn't you?"
At that, Yi Chen realized the task had begun.
He considered the three of them. One fewer enemy would be better, and he didn't know if he could take on all three.
After all, they were from Class C. He had to be on his guard.
Yi Chen replied evenly:
"Set them up how? I don't know what you're talking about."
The blond guy stepped forward and grabbed Yi Chen by the collar. Yi Chen was caught off guard for a moment, but quickly came to his senses and knocked the man's hand away.
The blond guy snapped:
"You've got some nerve. You did it, but you won't admit it."
"You're only good at playing little tricks and scaring those cowards."
"I'm Ishizaki Daichi from Class C. If you've got the guts, come with us. We'll teach you about picking on cowards."
Yi Chen looked at the swaggering Ishizaki.
His thoughts surged:
"I remember now why I used to watch my diet and work out like crazy in my old world."
"I studied all kinds of martial arts and self-defense techniques."
"Of course."
"Wherever you go in this world, there are just too many people who deserve a beating."
"I haven't done anything wrong, and I haven't picked a fight with anyone."
"It's not true that it takes two to tango. Evil is just evil, no matter what people say about being top-tier."
"What matters most in this world?"
"Brute strength? An incredible IQ? Or always being ready to get on camera?"
After thinking it over, Yi Chen gave a scornful smile.
"This is Classroom of the Elite, after all."
Yi Chen glanced at his phone, then agreed with a cold expression. Ishizaki and the others told him to follow them.
As they walked, Yi Chen's desire to fight reached its peak.
"Was this confidence from working out every day?"
"Was it the overwhelming confidence that Angel's task had given me?"
"No. All of it came from the rules of Classroom of the Elite."
"Come to think of it, with enough points, life could be a little easier."
Yi Chen's goal had changed.
Soon, the group went through a narrow passage and reached an abandoned construction site.
Along the way, Yi Chen kept an eye on the cameras and the surroundings.
He couldn't afford to let his guard down around people from Class C.
Once they arrived, Yi Chen saw that no one else was nearby.
He had already turned on his phone's voice recorder.
Just in case.
As soon as they got there, before anyone could say a word, Ishizaki turned around and threw a heavy punch.
Yi Chen had been ready. He dodged to the side.
He immediately struck Ishizaki's wrist with the edge of his hand, then drove his palm into Ishizaki's jaw.
Ishizaki doubled over in pain. The Black guy rushed forward to catch him, then threw a punch.
Yi Chen raised his hand to block.
The Black guy followed with a roundhouse kick.
Yi Chen raised his knee to block, but still took the full force of the heavy kick.
Seeing his opening, the Black guy immediately swept at Yi Chen's legs.
Yi Chen stepped back and dodged.
The Black guy got up and swung a wide punch.
Yi Chen raised his guard, ducked, and punched the Black guy in the stomach, keeping an eye on both sides.
Yamazaki leaped into the air and kicked at Yi Chen. Yi Chen had been ready and dodged to the side.
The kick missed, and Yamazaki crashed heavily to the ground.
Yamazaki couldn't help shouting:
"Get over here, Ibuki Mio, you idiot! What are you standing around for?"
At that, Yi Chen looked at Ibuki Mio. They'd met at the gym and exchanged email addresses, and had messaged each other now and then.
Ibuki Mio looked at Yi Chen, hesitating.
The Black guy ignored their argument and came at him with a straight punch.
Yi Chen raised his hands to guard.
The Black guy's punches were incredibly heavy, and he overpowered Yi Chen with sheer strength.
The Black guy threw a rushing punch. Yi Chen leaned his head aside to dodge.
The Black guy followed with a hook from his other hand,
and Yi Chen blocked with his guard up.
Yi Chen's adrenaline surged.
He felt completely overpowered, and the frustration burned inside him.
"If only this body were a little stronger. What if I'd thrown myself into training as soon as I got here?"
"Did I forget who I was because I crossed over so suddenly? What kind of person am I, really?"
"A good person? A smart person? A cold person? A shut-in? A bad person? A loser?"
"No. I'm an ordinary person."
"I have my own personality. I have feelings and desires, too."
"I get frustrated! I get angry, too."
"Why? Just because I learned too much, my body has to carry all that weight?"
"Is that why I don't have the courage to fight back? Why I don't feel like resisting?"
Yi Chen thought:
"There are just too many people in this world who deserve a beating. What should I do if I run into something like this again?"
"These people have it so easy. They can live however they want. They don't care if they ruin their own lives by beating someone up."
"After all, they're the dregs of society. As long as they're happy, nothing else matters."
"For people like them, rules might as well not exist."
"What if they're willing to trade a few years of their own lives to ruin an ordinary person's whole life?"
"If trash gets right up next to you,"
"then even if you do nothing, you'll still be surrounded by the stench of it."
Yi Chen thought back on his life. He'd been an ordinary person from an ordinary family.
He'd received a higher education and was always humble and low-key.
But honest people often...
The first time he encountered trash, he couldn't be bothered to do anything.
The second time, the things he'd been taught made him afraid to step in.
The third time, he couldn't hold back and threw a heavy punch.
In the end, he got the same punishment they did!
After that, Yi Chen worked even harder to train himself, studying his textbooks while learning all kinds of rules about the world.
The more he learned, the darker the sky seemed to grow, from day into night.
Until night fell forever.
Before you continue