The Value of Full Attribute Balance!

After finishing dinner, Lin Xia and the others returned to their dormitory.

"We have to reach Bronze by the second day of school?"

Xu Jian picked at the meat stuck in his teeth with a toothpick and shook his head violently. "Once you hit Iron 3, you basically start getting matched against opponents who have already leveled up. We're all still Level 1; how is that even possible?"

"As long as you're willing to put in the effort."

Liu Yucheng kept his head down, wrapping bandages around his hands as he said earnestly, "There is nothing in this world that cannot be done."

With that, he vanished from his bed and entered the Otherworld.

"Tch, look at you talking big!"

Xu Jian shot a look of disdain toward the spot where Liu Yucheng had disappeared and rolled his eyes.

"Pang Pang, aren't you planning to jump into ranked matches to climb the ladder?"

Lin Xia asked.

"Not a chance!"

Xu Jian waved his hands frantically. "I can't be bothered to grind. This stuff is a total waste of time; it's way more practical to just get some extra sleep!"

"Pang Pang, that won't do. You've made it to Imperial University—how can you not get competitive?"

Lin Xia said with a mischievous grin.

"I'm only in college to coast through life. Competitive my foot!"

After saying this, Xu Jian kicked off his shoes, lay down on his bed, and squeezed his eyes shut, looking as if he would be asleep in the next second.

Seeing this, Lin Xia voiced the question that had been on his mind:

"Pang Pang, what exactly is your Awakening Ability?"

At these words, Pang Pang gave a self-deprecating laugh. "It's useless. It's fine for fooling around, but when it comes to real combat, it's completely unviable. That's why I've given up!"

He then waved his hand and turned over, signaling that he was going to sleep.

Seeing this, Lin Xia didn't let him have his way and continued to ask, "Don't sleep yet. One last question: do you know what the reward is for reaching Bronze?"

"No idea. The level of secrecy Imperial University keeps regarding the rewards is on par with state secrets! But one thing is certain: the reward must be absolutely staggering! Why don't... you give it a shot and try to reach that achievement? If anyone in our year can actually make it to Bronze, you and Zhu Tingyu are the only ones with a chance!"

Hearing this, Lin Xia pondered for a moment.

He naturally intended to reach Bronze; after all, it was a system task.

Just then, Pang Pang's deafening snoring erupted.

Lin Xia hadn't expected the guy to actually fall asleep instantly.

He hopped off his bed and stretched his body.

Then, he initiated the ranked matchmaking.

A moment later, Lin Xia vanished from where he stood.

Meanwhile, in a high-end restaurant outside the school.

Wu Ziyang sliced his grilled meat and popped it into his mouth with a look of displeasure. "Can you stop rushing me? The person you want me to kill is a student at Imperial University! And an SSR-level Awakened one at that! Before I make a move, I at least need to figure out a way to clear my name, don't I?"

"What kind of way do you need? Just stab him while he's sleeping and run away—isn't that the end of it?"

Zhang Ting, sitting across from him, clenched her fist so tightly that her knuckles cracked. But the next second, she seemed to realize something; her fist slowly relaxed, and a look of skeptical, arrogant amusement appeared on her face. "Don't tell me... a killer like you actually wants to study hard and get a diploma?"

"You're only half right. Not only am I going to finish college, but I'm going to graduate at the top of the class!"

Wu Ziyang raised his eyebrows and pointed his thumb at himself. "That's the only thing worthy of my status as Wu Ziyang!"

"That sounds pretty difficult, doesn't it?"

Zhang Ting gave a contemptuous laugh. "I heard that during the sorting ceremony, you tried to ambush Lin Xia and not only failed but were countered and insta-killed. Do I have reason to suspect that you... simply can't complete the mission?"

"That was just me being careless! Otherwise, my speed would have been far too fast for him to even react!"

Wu Ziyang's expression shifted violently, as if a raw nerve had been struck. He slammed a palm onto the table, his voice loud enough to draw the attention of everyone in the room.

Immediately, he realized he had lost his composure.

He wiped his mouth, stood up, and prepared to leave.

Before walking away, he said in a threatening tone:

"If Lin Xia were easy to deal with, with the influence of your Zhang Family, you would have already gotten rid of him, wouldn't you?

So... don't push me!"

With that, Wu Ziyang strode away.

"Bastard!"

Zhang Ting cursed, then called the waiter over to settle the bill.

During the process, she recalled her father's instructions.

'Lin Xia is currently a key person of interest to the government.'

'We must absolutely not let the Zhang Family get dragged into this.'

"Whew~!"

Lin Xia returned to his dormitory.

He looked at the data on his panel—[Black Iron III, 99 Victory Points]—and let out a string of curses in frustration.

He had fought all night, only to be stuck on the edge, just one point away from promoting to Bronze!

Anyone would complain after encountering something like this, right?

Lin Xia checked the time; it was already past 2:00 AM.

His body was so exhausted that he felt he could fall asleep standing up.

Wu Ziyang and Xu Jian were fast asleep in the dorm.

But when Lin Xia looked toward Liu Yucheng's bed, he noticed he hadn't returned yet.

This stirred up his competitive spirit.

And so, dragging his weary body, Lin Xia entered the ranked queue once more.

The opponent he matched with this time, just like the previous few, was a Level 3 guy.

A higher level meant the opponent had more awakened skills.

Fortunately, this guy's grade wasn't high.

So, with Lin Xia's stat of 82, it was equivalent to both of them starting from the same baseline.

Thus, after a bitter struggle lasting over half an hour, Lin Xia managed to secure a difficult victory.

And he finally understood why, even though there were SSR-grade awakeners among the seniors, they hadn't completed this achievement.

It was because the stats of most awakeners were unbalanced.

For example, an awakener with high output would have extremely low defense.

Conversely, an awakener with high defense would have very low output.

Therefore, it was difficult to climb the ranks before leveling up to increase their attributes.

But Lin Xia's attributes were balanced to a point of perfection!

[Ding!]

[Congratulations to the Host for completing the mission!]

[Successfully obtained Eye of Insight!]

"Phew, finally finished."

Lin Xia returned to the dorm, his legs giving out as he collapsed onto his bed.

Although dying in the Otherworld didn't mean real death.

The pain left behind during the fighting was incredibly real, and even after returning to reality, it still throbbed faintly.

Lin Xia glanced at Liu Yucheng's bed.

He noticed that guy still hadn't returned.

"So hardworking, I wonder what rank he's reached."

Lin Xia muttered to himself.

At this moment, the system's voice rang out.

[Does the Host wish to awaken the Eye of Insight now?]

[The system detects that the Host is physically and mentally exhausted; it is recommended to rest fully and awaken it tomorrow.]

[Because the process of awakening may cause irreversible damage to the Host's body, such as blindness...]

"Blindness?!"

Lin Xia's spirits immediately lifted. He hadn't expected the awakening process of this skill to have side effects.

This made him even more curious, so he wanted to check the skill's description.

But he was informed that he could only view it after awakening.

Thus, though unwilling, Lin Xia accepted the system's suggestion.

He planned to rest well and awaken tomorrow.

"Ah~ Comfortable~"

As soon as Lin Xia lay on the bed, he completely relaxed his muscles.

The next second, he fell fast asleep.