[Ding! Incubus Development System successfully bound.] [Hello, host. Welcome to the magical continent. You have successfully transmigrated and become an Inferior Incubus.] [But even an Inferior Incubus can conquer the world! Once the system transforms you into the Incubus King, men and women alike will bow at your feet!] [Go forth, young Incubus. Your journey begins now!]
Cheng Che stared at the translucent, pale purple panel before him, the smile freezing on his face.
He instinctively turned to look around.
His deskmate Guo Xin had his face buried behind an English textbook, secretly reading a novel, while two girls in the row ahead were copying chemistry homework.
"When did I transmigrate?"
"And what do you mean, men and women alike? I'm not from Rongcheng!"
Cheng Che complained frantically in his head.
He had grown up in Spring City and had never even been to Rongcheng. Why should he have to inherit Rongcheng's "traditional skills"?
Unfortunately, the system had no time for him and continued displaying text on its own:
[Host attribute panel] [Physique: 48/100 (the ultimate piece of trash, out of breath after two steps-a disgrace to Incubi everywhere)] [Stamina: 43/100 (needs three breaks to run eight hundred meters, the inferior of the inferior)] [Charm: 47/100 (if Incubi looked like you, the Demon King would consider striking you off the household register)] [Intelligence: 51/100 (what's the difference between you and a slime?)] [Overall evaluation: the inferior of the inferior, the trash of the trash, a humiliation to Incubi unseen in a hundred years.]
Cheng Che: "..."
After reading the evaluation, Cheng Che felt he was going to develop high blood pressure at his young age.
That evaluation was far too insulting!
"Fine," he said to himself. "Let's see what you can turn me into, then."
He pulled himself together and continued reading.
[Advancement mission unlocked: advance to Lesser Incubus] [Advancement requirements: raise all four attributes to 60. Current progress: 0/4] [Benefit missions unlocked to assist the host.]
Benefits?
Good, good. Cheng Che liked benefits... He continued reading.
[1. Run, Incubus! (jog five kilometers daily, physique +1, stamina +1)] [2. Knowledge Is Power (study effectively for five hours daily, intelligence +1)] [3. Incubus's Beauty Sleep (fall asleep before 10:30 p.m. every night, charm +0.5)] [4. Incubus's Face Project (cleanse and care for your skin morning and night, charm +0.5)]
The classroom was quiet, save for the squeak of Old Xu writing on the blackboard.
Cheng Che looked at the four missions and suddenly found them a little absurd.
A system called "Incubus Development" had actually given him missions to run, study, go to bed early, and take care of his skin.
They didn't have a damn thing to do with the "sucking people's life essence" and "bewitching all living beings" he had imagined.
But Cheng Che thought it was pretty good.
After all, if those really had been the missions, he wouldn't have been able to complete them.
"Class, what day is it today?"
At that moment, the bell rang for the first class.
At the front of the classroom, their homeroom teacher, Old Xu, rapped on the blackboard, then turned and wrote a few bold, vigorous words:
100 days until the college entrance exam.
"These hundred days will determine whether you'll sit in an air-conditioned office in the future, or get an extra bottle of Huoxiang Zhengqi water while hauling bricks."
A few scattered laughs came from the class, then it quickly fell quiet again.
"So you can't give up. You have to keep paying attention in class if you want to make progress."
Cheng Che had always thought Old Xu talked nonsense, but today he thought he was absolutely right. Cheng Che took a deep breath and closed the system panel.
He looked up at the blackboard. Old Xu had already begun the actual lesson.
Cheng Che paid especially close attention during math class.
Time flew by.
The last class of the afternoon was English.
The teacher assigned a cloze test. This time, Cheng Che didn't guess randomly as he had before. He forced himself to read word by word, doing his best to understand every sentence.
After finishing the twenty questions, he found that he had gotten only seven wrong-his best result since the start of his senior year.
The dismissal bell rang.
The English teacher had just called out, "Class dismissed," when a ding sounded in Cheng Che's mind.
[Ding! Mission "Knowledge Is Power" progress updated: effective study time today: 5 hours and 2 minutes. Mission complete!] [Intelligence +1]
An indescribable cool sensation burst through his mind, and those obscure, complicated sentences became clear in an instant.
So this was what it felt like to study as a genius.
This was even more addictive than playing video games.
"Cheng Che, you're still here? Waiting for evening self-study?"
Guo Xin looked at Cheng Che, who would normally have run off long ago, and asked in some puzzlement.
"I'm leaving."
Cheng Che came to his senses, slung his backpack over one shoulder with one hand, and walked out of the classroom.
"Bring me an egg-stuffed pancake tomorrow!" Guo Xin called after him.
Cheng Che didn't look back, just gave him an OK gesture.
As he went downstairs, he didn't head for the bus stop by the school gate as he usually did. Instead, he turned onto the road by the school's back gate and started jogging.
His home was quite a distance from school.
The bus normally took twenty minutes, with one transfer along the way.
From the school's back gate, he had to follow Spring City Old Street north, pass two traffic lights, then turn toward Clearwater Bay. It was a little over five kilometers in total.
He had traveled this route by bus for three years, but this was his first time running it.
The evening breeze brushed his cheeks, carrying a hint of Spring City's dry heat.
The first kilometer was fairly easy. Cheng Che regulated his breathing and ran at an unhurried pace.
By the second kilometer, his breathing had grown ragged.
By the third, his legs felt like lead.
By the fourth, his lungs felt as if they were on fire with every step.
Just as he reached the fourth traffic light, a black sedan slowly pulled over, and the rear window rolled down.
"Cheng Che?"
Cheng Che turned his head to look, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
What rotten luck, he thought.
He hadn't expected to run into his mother Jiang Xue's sworn enemy.
"Hello, Aunt Wang."
Wang Xiumei didn't notice Cheng Che's expression. Instead, she said with a smile:
"Why are you running home? Not taking the bus anymore?"
"Come on, get in. I'm going that way anyway. Your uncle just got a new Audi. You haven't ridden in it yet, have you? Come on, come on, there's a seat for you in the back."
Cheng Che waved a hand and steadied his breathing. "No need, Aunt Wang. I'm getting some exercise."
"Getting some exercise?"
The smile faded from Wang Xiumei's face, and she took on a condescending air.
"Cheng Che, time is so precious in your senior year. Instead of running around until you're drenched in sweat, you'd be better off doing a few more practice papers. You don't apply yourself all day long. No wonder your grades aren't improving."
Cheng Che didn't respond and kept running.
Inside the car, Wang Xiumei began lecturing her son, who was sitting in the back:
"Son, you remember this: don't be like him. There are only a hundred days left until the college entrance exam, and he's still running. What's he running for?"
Zhou Hao said nothing, merely turning the volume on his earphones up another notch.