After dinner, Lin Xia and the others returned to the dorm.
"On the second day of school, we're already supposed to reach Bronze?"
Xu Jian picked at the bits of meat stuck between his teeth with a toothpick and shook his head vigorously. "Once you reach Black Iron 3, you basically start getting matched against opponents who've already leveled up. We're all still Level 1. How could we possibly do it?"
"As long as you're willing to work hard."
Liu Yucheng lowered his head as he wrapped a bandage around himself, speaking earnestly. "There's nothing in this world that can't be done."
With that, he disappeared from the bed and entered the Otherworld.
"Yeah, yeah, you're the only one who can talk!"
Xu Jian looked at him with disdain and rolled his eyes at the spot where Liu Yucheng had vanished.
"Pang Pang, aren't you going to queue up and try to climb the rankings?"
Lin Xia asked.
"No way!"
Xu Jian waved his hands frantically. "I can't be bothered to climb the ranks. This stuff is just a waste of time. I'd rather get a little more sleep!"
"Pang Pang, you can't go on like this. You're at Imperial University now. How can you not get caught up in the grind?"
Lin Xia said with a mischievous grin.
"I went to university just to coast. What's the point of grinding?"
After saying that, Xu Jian took off his shoes, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes tightly, looking ready to fall asleep at any moment.
Seeing this, Lin Xia asked the question that had been on his mind:
"Pang Pang, what exactly is your Awakening Ability?"
At that, Pang Pang laughed at himself. "It's not much use. It can fool people, I guess, but in a real fight, I can't do anything with it. That's why I've given up!"
Then he waved a hand and turned over, signaling that he was going to sleep.
Lin Xia didn't let him have his way. Instead, he continued, "Don't sleep yet. One last question: do you know what the reward is for reaching Bronze?"
"No idea. Imperial University keeps the rewards even more secret than state secrets!
"But one thing's for sure: the reward must be incredible!
"How about you... try harder and reach that rank?
"If anyone in our year has a chance of reaching Bronze, it's you and Zhu Tingyu!"
At that, Lin Xia fell silent for a moment.
Of course he intended to reach Bronze. It was one of the system's missions, after all.
Just then, Pang Pang's deafening snores filled the room.
Lin Xia hadn't expected the guy to fall asleep that fast.
So he jumped down from his bed and stretched.
Then he started matchmaking for a ranked match.
A while later, Lin Xia disappeared from the spot.
Meanwhile.
At an upscale restaurant outside the school.
Wu Ziyang cut up his roast meat and shoved it into his mouth with an unhappy expression.
"Could you stop rushing me?
"The person you want me to kill is a student at Imperial University!
"He's also an SSR-level Awakener!
"At the very least, I need to figure out how to clear myself of suspicion before I make a move, don't I?"
"What is there to figure out?
"Wait until he's asleep, stab him once, and run. What's the problem?"
Across from him, Zhang Ting clenched her fist so tightly that her knuckles cracked.
But the next second, she seemed to realize something. Her fist slowly relaxed, and a doubtful, arrogant smile spread across her face.
"Don't tell me you're a hitman who wants to devote himself to his studies and earn a diploma?"
"You're only half right. I'm not just going to finish university; I'm going to graduate at the top of my class!"
Wu Ziyang raised his eyebrows and pointed his thumb at himself. "That's what a man like me deserves!"
"That sounds pretty hard, doesn't it?"
Zhang Ting smiled scornfully. "I heard you tried to ambush Lin Xia at the class assignment ceremony, failed, and got killed in seconds instead. Don't I have reason to wonder whether you can even complete the job?"
"That was because I let my guard down!
"Otherwise, I could've moved so fast he wouldn't have had time to react!"
Wu Ziyang's expression changed dramatically, as though she'd hit a sore spot. He slammed his palm onto the table, making enough noise to draw everyone's attention.
Immediately afterward, he realized he'd lost his temper.
So he wiped his mouth, stood up, and prepared to leave.
Before he went, he spoke in a threatening tone.
"If Lin Xia were easy to deal with, your Zhang Family would've gotten rid of him already, with all the power you have.
"So... stop rushing me!"
With that, Wu Ziyang strode away.
"Bastard!"
Zhang Ting cursed, then called over a waiter to pay the bill.
As she did, she recalled her father's warning.
"Lin Xia is now a major focus of the government."
"Whatever you do, don't let the Zhang Family get dragged into this."
"Phew!"
Lin Xia returned to the dorm.
He looked at the stats on his panel—[Black Iron 3, 99 Victory Points]—and muttered a few curses in frustration.
He'd played all night, only to get stuck one point shy of advancing to Bronze!
Who wouldn't complain after that?
Lin Xia checked the time. It was already past two in the morning.
He was so tired he felt as if he could fall asleep standing up.
Wu Ziyang and Xu Jian were fast asleep in the dorm.
But when Lin Xia looked at Liu Yucheng's bed, he saw that he still hadn't returned.
That fired up his competitive spirit.
So, despite his exhaustion, Lin Xia entered the ranked matches once more.
Like the previous few times, the opponent he matched with was also a Level 3 player.
A higher level meant the opponent had awakened more skills.
Fortunately, this guy's grade wasn't high.
So, with Lin Xia's stats at 82, the two of them were basically starting from the same place.
After a grueling battle that lasted more than half an hour, Lin Xia finally managed to win.
And now he understood why even some of the upperclassmen who were SSR-level Awakeners hadn't completed this achievement.
It was because the stats of most Awakeners weren't balanced.
For example, Awakeners with high attack power had extremely low defense.
And Awakeners with high defense had low attack power.
So it was difficult to climb the rankings before leveling up and boosting their stats.
But Lin Xia's stats were perfectly balanced!
[ Ding! ] [ Congratulations, host! Mission complete! ] [ You have successfully obtained the Eye of Insight! ]
"Phew, I finally did it."
Lin Xia returned to the dorm. His legs gave way, and he collapsed onto his bed.
Dying in the Otherworld didn't mean dying for real.
But the pain from fighting felt completely real. Even after returning to reality, it still ached faintly.
Lin Xia glanced at Liu Yucheng's bed.
That guy still hadn't returned.
"What a grinder. I wonder what rank he's reached."
Lin Xia murmured.
Just then, the system's voice rang out.
[ Host, would you like to awaken the Eye of Insight now? ] [ The system has detected that you are physically and mentally exhausted. It recommends getting plenty of rest and awakening it tomorrow. ] [ The awakening process may cause irreversible damage to your body, such as blindness... ]
"Blindness?!"
Lin Xia perked up instantly. He hadn't expected the skill's awakening process to have side effects.
That only made him more curious, so he tried to check the skill description.
But the system told him he could only view it after awakening the skill.
Although Lin Xia was reluctant, he still took the system's advice.
He decided to get some rest and awaken it tomorrow.
"Ah, that's better."
As soon as Lin Xia lay down, he let every muscle in his body relax.
The next second, he was fast asleep.
Before you continue