The Final Day Before the Storm: The first day off ended quite comfortably. The next two days were similar—Van Phong assigned me nearly 500 problems of all kinds: Functions, Trigonometry, Spatial Geometry, Complex Numbers, Probability-Combinatorics. I truly couldn't understand what Van Phong needed them for.
"What do you really need me to solve all these varied problems for?" I asked, my hands still flipping through pages full of symbols, sweat beading on my forehead.
Van Phong just smiled mysteriously: "For data."
I couldn't comprehend it. The frustration of being unable to further develop the shoes and armor, combined with the last day still being stuffed with mathematics, suffocated me. Van Phong's small room suddenly felt like an iron cage. I decided to go to the shopping center to play some arcade games to relieve stress.
The Shopping Center - An Oasis in the Desert: After taking the bus there, I carried little money—just enough to buy groceries and household supplies. Today was payday, and Van Phong paid me quite a bit when seeing my weakened body and wounds covering me from those self-proclaimed "strong ones" trampling me. The crisp bills in my pocket were a bitter reminder of my status.
The shopping center's cool air refreshed me. The lively music, dazzling neon lights, children's joyful cries—all created a world different from harsh reality. I headed straight to the fighting games and claw machines—games I always earned money from by calculating their glitches. While others were deceived, I had once earned a considerable amount from them. Now even though they hadn't fixed the glitches, I didn't exploit them but just played enough for fun.
After earning about a third of my wages, I walked straight to the household goods section and pharmacy. After shopping, on the way back, I saw a group of hooligans surrounding a girl. The setting sun cast slanted rays between high-rise buildings, dyeing the scene blood-red.
"None of my business," I thought, pulling out my family heirloom coin to toss idly. This was my entertainment habit whenever free—the round coin rolling perfectly across my knuckles in an arc.
Unexpectedly, I tripped on a stone and lost balance. Fortunately, my quick reflexes prevented me from falling. But the coin rolled straight toward the most troublesome spot—near the perverts surrounding the girl. She was using Water System power to create a shield against them.
The Family Heirloom Coin - The Clan's Soul: This coin was the Wang family's treasure, proof of the clan's long endurance. Made of pure copper, engraved with dragon and phoenix images—symbols of the lineage. Due to the family's decline, mine was the last generation, making it extremely important. It wasn't just a memento but the final relic of a glorious bygone era. It fell near a drain, where the perverts were deploying their techniques—where it could only shatter or fall into the sewage drain.
I approached, seeing the situation extremely unfavorable. The girl had erected a transparent water shield, but the perverts had many people: one was readying a brilliant fireball, another used Wind System to dissipate the shield, a third used Rock System to raise a shield blocking the water jets. The one-sided situation resembled a siege.
Battlefield Analysis: Energy: The resource used for magic/spells. Spiritual Energy: A transformed form of energy, at high levels can block critical damage, even regenerate when torn to shreds—frighteningly unreasonable power that an ordinary person like me could only dread.
The girl's face showed endurance, her Water System eyes sparkling but determined. When the water shield dissolved, the prepared flames would shoot forward to cause damage. But because she had to maintain the shield, damage was reduced by 75%, plus the Rock System user's shield was nearly useless. This group's weakness: the Rock System user, having shared his shield, only protected the front, leaving his back completely exposed like a torn net.
Decision to Act - Between Reason and Emotion: I hid behind a nearby tree, facing the Rock System user's back. Distance: 3 meters—just enough for Instant Acceleration. I didn't want to help; the family coin was in the danger zone. But images of my parents appeared in my mind—people who had given all their love to a powerless person like me. If I lost the coin, I would lose the final relic of my lineage.
"I'm really tired of saving others," I told myself, but my feet moved automatically.
Immediately, I prepared a kicking stance. Rushing out, my foot aimed straight at the Rock System user's neck joint. Activating Instant Acceleration. Speed surged, leaving an afterimage via the Wagon Wheel Effect I had researched—the optical phenomenon occurring when an object moves at 112 cm/second at 1-meter distance, deceiving the observer's vision.
The girl—maintaining the shield—observed everything: from my emergence from behind the tree to the afterimage's appearance. Her eyes showed surprise but not panic, as if recognizing something.
The Decisive Strike - The Powerless One's Precision: Moving behind him, I gathered momentum, centered my weight, and kicked hard. The Rock System user's head slammed into the ground with dust flying. Moments later, he fell unconscious from the neck strike—the human body's critical weakness regardless of elemental abilities.
Instantly, the shields disappeared. Two water jets from the girl's body shot out, striking the two remaining attackers. They were pushed back by the water pressure, knocked unconscious by the damage. The entire process occurred within a mere 5 seconds.
I stood there panting, clicking my tongue: "Damn it, I didn't want more trouble." Cold sweat covered my forehead, my body exhausted after using the skill.
The Moment of Recognition - Predestined Intersection: The water barrier gradually dissipated, revealing a vaguely familiar face. The coin lay on the ground near her, the setting sun casting a glittering gleam on its surface. I didn't bother looking at the person I'd saved, just bent down to pick up the coin. Standing up to leave.
A gentle, soft, warm hand grasped mine. A familiar voice rang out, clear as a mountain stream:
"Wang Meng... is that you?"
I looked up, my eyes meeting Hao Yan Ling's delicate face. The setting sun illuminated her jet-black hair, creating a gentle halo. She still wore her school uniform, but her face no longer held the pride of before, replaced instead by warmth and gratitude.
"Hao Yan Ling... is it you?" I asked, my voice hoarse with surprise. In my eyes, she resembled a goddess emerging from radiance, yet simultaneously posed the biggest question mark for the troubled future ahead.
She smiled, a smile that melted my fatigue: "Thank you. This is the second time... you always appear exactly when I need you most."
I could only nod, the emptiness in my heart suddenly filling with strange emotions. The family heirloom coin in my hand grew warm, as if reminding me of destiny's decree: she and I, two people from different worlds, had once again intersected in tragic circumstances.