My class had three days off to prepare for the next ability competition—the match where that bastard Mutt had beaten me until my flesh was mangled and bones shattered. When I heard the news, I just listlessly looked up at the gray sky: "Why must I endure so much suffering?" But it seemed nothing ever changed. Fear crept in, but I thought: "Anyway, with 3 days off plus 2 weekend days, I'll work with Van Phong to create something useful to reduce damage. Otherwise, I might actually lose my life."
Morning in the Embrace of Parents: On the first day off, my parents woke me up for lunch. Last night, I had stayed up designing a small wearable armor with Van Phong—from materials, dimensions to weight. Along with Ton Minh, my online gaming buddy, I had gamed until dawn. Only at 4 AM did I finally sleep. When awakened, it was 11 AM.
I dragged myself downstairs. My parents didn't scold me; their tones were always gentle. They didn't yell or even say anything because they knew: I wanted a good job and had accepted suffering from school. They felt guilty for birthing me with a body devoid of abilities, inferior to others, so they wanted to compensate.
My father—Wang Mo—said: "Now that you have several days off to prepare for the next grueling training session, your mother and I will cook delicious meals and give you spending money to hang out with Ton Minh."
My mother—Ha Vu Nuong—added: "You two come eat. Today I'm making Braised Chicken with Mushrooms to nourish my son so he recovers quickly from his wounds."
I stepped to the dining table. With each step, my heart grew heavier. Only these two people had truly loved me until now. I had become so empty that I no longer feared death, seeing it as liberation. Living in this world was meaningless, but in this moment, I wanted to strive for an easy job to help those who loved me unconditionally—my parents. While I myself was society's trash, something despicable whose mere presence offended others.
Between Two Worlds: Science and Magic: After lunch, I bid my parents farewell and went to Van Phong's house. Though Van Phong was a scientific researcher, in this cruel world, science was merely entertainment, possessing no power compared to Magic—especially for those with elemental abilities. He saw my passion and recruited me as an assistant.
Today, we studied linear algebra and statistical probability. I absolutely hated doing math. These subjects belonged to mathematics, while I specialized in physics, chemistry, and biology—visual subjects. Linear algebra with its rectangular and square numerical arrays tangled like number matrices. Statistical probability was like tossing dice and coins, then making me calculate outcome percentages.
Struggling for hours, I finally solved the problems Van Phong gave me. Sweat beaded on my forehead, my hands trembling from exhaustion.
After seeing me finish, Van Phong said: "Excellent! You seem quite skilled at calculations. Today you've solved 100 integral and derivative problems..." I could only sigh: "I don't know why I have to solve these problems."
The Wagon Wheel Effect: After finishing, Van Phong said: "Wang Meng, stay for dinner at our place. It seems my daughter is quite fond of you." I looked at Van Phong with a rare pleasant and kind gaze—the kind I reserved only for truly good people. I replied flatly: "Not today. I'll study the shoes for a bit, then go shopping and have dinner with my family."
After Van Phong left, I stayed behind to study the shoes. "Why can they create afterimages? How can I deeply understand and master this skill?" I set up a camera to record myself using Instant Acceleration.
Watching the video, I suddenly realized: when the human eye exceeds 12 frames/second and motion perception speed is 15 frames/second, even I was deceived by this afterimage when reviewing. After calculating, the exact speed to create an afterimage was 112 cm/second. At a distance of 1 meter, this effect was strongest, fooling the human eye.
I left a report on the experiment for Van Phong and called it "The Wagon Wheel Effect"—named after the phenomenon where wagon wheels in old films appear to rotate backward when reaching certain speeds. Slowly standing up, I went shopping and then headed home.
Dinner in Silence: Arriving home, the aroma of dinner filled the air. My parents had cooked my favorite dishes. The meal proceeded in silence. My mother served me the tenderest pieces of chicken, my father poured me a cool glass of water. They said nothing, but their worried eyes and wordless love were palpable.
I bit my lip, struggling to swallow the pent-up emotions. In this warm space, I again clearly felt the gap between two worlds: the world of my parents—where I was loved unconditionally—and the outside world—where I was merely a contemptible powerless person.
The shoes lay in my room, the report on "The Wagon Wheel Effect" on the desk. They were tools helping me survive, but they couldn't fill the emptiness in my soul. I looked up at the night sky through the window, wondering: would I ever find my true ideals, or would I forever remain a shadow in this world?