An Han rolled up his pant legs to his knees, holding an ice pack against his ankle with a look of utter despair.
Beside him, Ren Chi let out a soft sigh, seeing that An Han could manage his injury by himself: "Seriously, how do you manage to sprain your ankle just *walking down the stairs*?"
"I was just careless, okay?" An Han muttered.
"If it hasn't healed by class time, call me so I can ask for leave on your behalf."
"Fine," An Han replied, turning his head away in clear dismissal. "Now hurry up and finish moving. I've got this under control."
"Try not to put any weight on your left foot for the next couple of days."
An Han nodded impatiently. "Yeah, yeah, I *know*~"
Ren Chi had repeated those instructions so many times it was giving him a headache.
"I'll go now, then?"
"Just *go*, already!"
Still uneasy, Ren Chi gave An Han's ankle one last check. The swelling had already reduced slightly thanks to the ice and the clinic doctor's massage. Only then did he leave, casting worried glances back every few steps until the dorm room door clicked shut behind him.
The second the door closed, An Han tossed the ice pack onto the desk and hopped upright on one foot, hopping over to the mirror in his dorm.
Earlier, upon completing a mission, the system had introduced a brand-new attribute.
"Skin-and-Bone?" He leaned close to the mirror, scrutinizing his skin.
…Actually, it *had* changed a bit.
This attribute only appeared after the recent system upgrade—and it seemed to have corrected his skin flaws.
An Han's skin had always been decent, but like most people, it bore traces of adolescence: blackheads on his nose and faint acne scars on his cheeks. From a distance, his skin looked smooth and fine, but up close, those imperfections became noticeable.
Now, however, those blemishes had vanished. Only a few areas still showed slightly enlarged pores—likely to disappear entirely once this attribute leveled up again.
Plus, his previously sallow complexion had brightened noticeably.
"Like a built-in beauty filter?"
He ran his fingers over his smooth chin and muttered, "And my beard is completely gone too?"
Ever since the system had enhanced his stats, the coarse, fast-growing beard he used to shave daily had slowed dramatically. Over the past week, only sparse, downy fuzz had appeared.
But now—nothing at all.
He lifted his chin, checking his jawline.
Even the small mole he'd been born with was gone.
One faint mole remained near the corner of his eye—but it lay perfectly flat, smooth, and even added a hint of allure.
Knowing the system's usual tricks, that one probably wouldn't disappear.
Gripping the metal frame of his bunk bed for support, An Han straightened up and stepped back two paces, taking in his full reflection.
"Wait… am I even *smaller* now?"
"My hips look wider…"
"Are my shoulders narrower?"
"My face shape's softer too…"
"Ice-skinned, jade-boned?" The phrase popped into his head unbidden—then fury surged.
If his hair weren't still short, he'd look like a *girl* in the mirror! Damn it!
This "Skin-and-Bone" stat was clearly just a fancy name for combining appearance and body stats—rebrand it and bam! Two attributes for the price of one!
At least his chest hadn't grown further. The changes appeared strictly limited to skin and bone structure.
Before, with his previous two body stats, he'd merely been on the petite side *for a guy*—still distinctly male. But now?
Now he practically looked like a woman with slightly broader bones!
"Oh no, oh no! When Long Ge gets back, I'm *done* for!"
"And what about winter break? How am I gonna face my family?!"
Panicked, An Han lost his composure—until he suddenly remembered the gift the system had given him during the upgrade:
**The Free-Form Disguise Camera.**
Besides altering clothes and hairstyles, it automatically applied makeup.
If he imported an old photo of himself… would the camera adjust his current appearance to match it as closely as possible?
But what about the side effects?
Worried but desperate, An Han hopped over to his desk on one foot and pulled the camera out of a drawer.
This disguise camera had full standard functions—it could do anything a regular camera could. He grabbed a data cable and tried importing photos from his phone via his computer.
Truth was, he didn't have many photos. The most recent one was a selfie from half a year ago—taken with heavy beauty filters.
That filter had lightened his skin, smoothed imperfections, and subtly reshaped his face: sharper jawline, more oval contour.
Back then, he'd thought the filtered photo looked incredibly handsome. Now? It just made him cringe.
"How the hell did I ever take *beautified* selfies?! Didn't I think it looked girly?!"
Grumbling at his past self, he imported the photo into the camera and activated the disguise function.
A brief flash—and An Han felt something settle onto his face.
He hopped back to the mirror.
"Perfect!"
"Absolutely flawless! I look *exactly* like the photo! This makeup skill rivals top-tier celebrity makeup artists!"
Since the original photo only captured his face, only his facial features were altered—coated with a layer of expertly applied cosmetics.
Excited, he leaned even closer to the mirror. "Compared to two weeks ago, I'm just a little fairer and my skin's smoother—but *how* did it pull off this transformation?"
The makeup added sharpness back to his now-softened features, restoring a distinctly masculine edge.
But his excitement faded quickly.
An Han lowered his head, muttering to himself, "But… what's the cost?"
The binding-wrap side effect was passive male attention—so what's *this* disguise's drawback?
Since he couldn't tell yet, his eyes drifted toward the door.
Hmm… should he test it on someone?
But Su Peng wouldn't be back until evening, and with his injured ankle, going outside wasn't practical.
So An Han dialed his counselor's number. "Bro Ren~"
The moment Ren Chi heard that tone, he knew trouble was coming. "Spit it out!"
"I'm thirsty~ Can't go downstairs to buy water. Bring me two bottles, please?"
"Can't you just boil water?"
"I want Coke. Coca-Cola. Sugar-free. Thanks."
"You're *so* picky."
"Well, didn't I sprain my ankle *helping you*?"
Ren Chi fell silent for a moment. Finally: "Fine. Give me twenty minutes. I just carried a box up to my place."
"Great!" An Han chirped.
He sat down with his injured leg propped up, a mischievous smirk curling his lips.
Admittedly, watching others get played was pretty fun.
But right now, *he* was the one being toyed with—by the system.
"Man, this sucks~" The smile vanished instantly. An Han collapsed onto the desk with a mournful sigh.
As time ticked on, his anxiety about the disguise prop's hidden cost only deepened…
What if the side effect was something he couldn't possibly handle?