In his rented apartment, Lin Xia set a steaming bowl of instant noodles on the table.
He ate with chopsticks in one hand while inspecting a chocolate figurine in the other.
Every detail on the chocolate had been carved with lifelike precision. Its model was none other than Zhang Heng, the guy who had come looking for trouble earlier.
It was about ten centimeters tall, just the right size to carry around in a pocket.
"I never would've guessed... Turns out, after these things are chocolatefied... they aren't meant for Buou to eat. They're for me!"
"If my health gets low during a fight, I can just pull out some chocolate and eat it... Wouldn't that restore me to full health?"
Lin Xia guessed it might be because Zhang Heng was so weak that Buou had judged him an instant kill.
That was probably why the chocolate figurine was still there.
[ Ding! ]
[New Mission: Reach Bronze 1 within 48 hours!]
[Mission Reward: Eye of Insight!]
[Eye of Insight: Unlock to view details!]
[Helpful Reminder: This is a one-of-a-kind divine skill. Host, don't miss out!]
[Time Remaining: 47:59:59]
"Cough, cough—!" The system's sudden voice right by his ear startled Lin Xia so badly that he almost got killed by his instant noodles.
Once he recovered, his eyes lit up. He repeated, "A one-of-a-kind divine skill!?"
Lin Xia still couldn't see what the [Eye of Insight] did.
But if the system said so, then he had to get it!
"Reach Bronze 1..."
Lin Xia pocketed the chocolate Zhang Heng and opened his status panel.
There was an option in the lower-left corner called [Ranked Match].
He opened it and saw that his rank was Black Iron 1 (0 Victory Points).
In this world, once someone successfully awakened, Ranked Matches became available.
Everyone started at Black Iron 1 by default.
To raise his rank, he had to play Ranked Matches. He would earn Victory Points for every win.
One thing worth noting was that there were no bots in these matches. Both sides were real people!
As for who he would be matched with, that came down to luck. Usually, the difference in rank wasn't too great, unless he was especially unlucky and got matched with someone several ranks above him...
Once he reached 100 Victory Points, he could advance by one rank.
Below Master, every rank had three divisions (1–3).
According to the system's mission, Lin Xia had to climb three ranks within 48 hours.
"I'd better hurry up and see how tough these Ranked Matches are."
Lin Xia wiped his mouth, his expression growing serious.
Losing a match wouldn't get him killed.
But he would still lose Victory Points.
That was why so many people had negative Victory Points.
"Bzz, bzz, bzz!"
Lin Xia's status panel vibrated.
He noticed a red dot on the icon labeled [Mail].
That meant he had a new message.
As soon as Lin Xia opened it, an animation of a luxurious golden envelope appeared.
[Congratulations, you have been admitted to the Imperial University... Please report to the university at 9 a.m. on December 8!]
[...Your class will be assigned according to your rank upon enrollment!]
Lin Xia wasn't particularly excited by the acceptance notice.
After all, he was an SSR Awakener and easily met the admission requirements.
"They're assigning classes tomorrow morning. I need to rank up fast so I can get into Class 1, which has the best resources!"
Lin Xia suddenly felt motivated.
By previous years' standards, freshmen who reached Black Iron 2 with more than 50 Victory Points were practically guaranteed a place in Class 1!
That was because Ranked Matches and private fights didn't grant experience in this world.
To level up, one had to explore a wilderness dungeon.
And getting into a dungeon wasn't easy. Newly awakened people couldn't enter until they'd completed a tedious application process.
So any freshman who reached Black Iron 2 in Ranked Matches was considered a genius.
[Start matchmaking?]
[Yes/No]
"Start!"
As soon as Lin Xia confirmed, the interface began searching for a match.
About five seconds later—
[Match found!]
[Loading...]
[Loading complete!]
[Map for this match: Ruined City!]
"Whoosh—!"
A circle of light appeared beneath Lin Xia's feet.
In the next moment, his surroundings quickly blurred.
When they came back into focus, the familiar furniture and walls had disappeared.
In their place lay a ruin filled with drifting smoke.
The street was pitted with craters, and the skyscrapers stood in crumbling disrepair, as if they had just endured the ravages of war.
Lin Xia frowned. He knew Ranked Matches transported both sides into an Otherworld.
But he hadn't expected it to look so realistic.
It really was just like some city in the real world...
He could even smell the strong stench of blood.
Yet so far, Lin Xia hadn't seen a single person.
He tried to step forward.
But he couldn't move.
"The circle of light under my feet hasn't disappeared yet. Is that why I can't move?"
Lin Xia wondered aloud.
Just then, with a loud boom, a beam of light appeared about ten meters away.
As it gradually faded, an identical circle of light came into view.
A muscular young man stood inside it, nearly 190 centimeters tall.
He wore his hair in a samurai topknot, his expression cold as his sharp eyes fixed on Lin Xia.
But most striking of all was his inverted-triangle physique, like a sculpture from ancient Greece.
The reason Lin Xia could see it so clearly was that the guy wasn't wearing a shirt...
"Tch, exhibitionist~~"
Lin Xia curled his lip, then glanced down at his own thin arms. "I've awakened Saiyan physiology, so why am I still so skinny?"
[Your talent won't carve muscles for you. If you want a good physique, you have to work out!]
The system's voice rang out.
At that very moment, the circle of light disappeared.
Lin Xia realized he could move freely again.
He noticed the young man was in the same situation and guessed this was probably the guy's first Ranked Match too.
"Please go easy on me."
The young man spoke two words without expression.
Then he pressed his palms together. The veins on his biceps bulged, flames suddenly sprang up in his eyes, and a golden stream of light enveloped his entire body.
[Awakening Card: Holy Monk]
[Grade: S]
[OVR: 71]
"B-Blind... Blind Monk?!"
Looking at the young man, Lin Xia was reminded of a character from a game in his previous life.
It was a perfect recreation!
The only difference was that this guy wasn't bald or blind.
"As expected of such a meticulous matchmaking system. It even found me an S-grade Awakener..."
Lin Xia loosened up his limbs, intending to show his own stats too.
"Whoosh—!"
But as soon as the young man finished transforming, he said nothing and sprang forward, his massive fist cutting through the air as it shot toward Lin Xia!
"Thump!"
Lin Xia caught the fist firmly in his left hand.
The young man's expression, which had suggested he meant to end the fight quickly, was replaced by shock!
"Not bad strength..." Lin Xia's cold face slowly appeared from behind the fist. "But if that's all you've got, the fight's already over."
[Successful Show-Off!]
[Vegeta's Affection +20%!]
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