บท 8: 8:Something Cracked
Evan rubbed his eyes and stared at the progress bar after reading for a few hours.
[Beginner Academic Skill (69/100)]
[Intermediate Programming (11//250)]
In the beginning, he was getting a surge of experience points every couple of minutes, but as he progressed further, the experience points he got started dwindling, and now, he hadn't earned any for an hour.
'System, what's going on? Why did it stop? I have clearly understood so many things and there are more books that I want to read. Why am I not gaining any experience?'
[Seriously, do you want to build a rocket by studying basic things?]
'Huh?'
Evan took a moment to understand what the system really implied.
'As the system mentioned, Academic skills encompass all subjects or academics and when it comes to programming, I feel as if I am lacking something. Something that is quite crucial and it's not the basic structures, codes, or commands.'
Evan, who was engrossed in reading, suddenly jolted forward by a hit on his head.
Turning around, he saw three of his classmates: Jasper, John, and Ken.
Unfortunately, his relationship with them wasn't good.
"Oh, isn't this the famous Evan who tried to molest an actress?"
"Jasper, what do you mean by that?'' Evan asked coldly, seeing Jasper twisting the facts.
Jasper just kept smiling as the people around them started staring at Evan with curious gazes.
"Don't act as if you don't know anything. People hit you because you behaved improperly along with your parents. Some people wrote that your father even tried to hit her with that lascivious gaze."
Evan stood up, glaring at the three.
"John, get your facts straight. It was a misunderstanding and I had no role in it."
Just as they were about to argue, the librarian yelled at them.
"Boys, please take this outside. Do not disturb others."
Evan didn't want to leave, but he knew that if he didn't, these three won't let it go.
There were many wealthy second-generation students in the third-tier city. The class had hosted a gathering at KTV, which Evan refused since he was neither good with drinks nor did he fit in the group of those ass lickers who liked to leech off the rich.
This simple act was enough to attract animosity, as a few assholes snitched that he didn't give them a face and looked down upon them.
And from there began the conflict. Though they hadn't done anything excessive, he had been ostracized by the whole class due to orders from the upper-tier students.
Getting out, they appeared in the corridor where Jasper pushed him, trying to make him trip.
"Aren't you afraid of the cameras?"
"Are you talking about that?" Ken pointed at one before bursting into laughter.
PFT!
"Do you really think that thing even works? Do you think you are studying in some prestigious institute?"
"Even if we get caught, Sir Noah will surely help us."
These people seriously believe that Nova could cover the sky with his hand for them.
"I see," Evan murmured softly, then grinned.
"So, what are you going to do? Beat me?"
BANG!
Seeing the grin on Evan's face, Jasper punched without mercy.
"Stop acting like a hot shot. Previously, we might have feared doing this but now with your reputation at the bottom, who will support you."
Evan's body shook as he took the punch.
"Thanks for hitting me. Now I have proof to retaliate in self-defense," Evan chuckled, pulling out his phone with the video recording still on.
"Give it to us, squeak," John shouted and pounced on Evan, who swayed his body, evading his charge.
Ken also lunged at him, however, instead of evading this time, Evan kicked, landing a low blow that connected perfectly with Ken's nuts.
CRACK!
Something seemed to crack, but it wasn't the eggs.
At least, not the chicken eggs.
"You...ughhhhhh!" Ken's face turned red and his body convulsed with spasmodic waves of pain, so intense that he suffered the brutal pain that was capable of ending his entire lineage.
Jasper and Ken's hearts jolted in shock seeing their friend cry out in agony.
"You know how to fight?"
"Take a guess."
Evan flashed a gentlemanly smile that sent a chill down their spines.
Fight...he didn't know anything about fighting, but he knew how to survive.
Over the past years, he had faced attacks from many pickpockets out of which many got back to him to vent their frustration after finding only a penny on him.
Moreover, his reflexes were quite sharp and he was quite agile which proved to be his saving grace.
"Jasper, let's get out of here. I have a bad feeling about this," Ken muttered.
They have followed Nova to many parties from where they learned one crucial thing: if a person laughed or stayed calm when he was being threatened or was faced with danger, such a type of person was not someone to be messed with.
Together, they helped the pale-faced John to his feet and carried him away.
"I will get back to you for this, you son of a bitch."
Seeing them leave, Evan wiped the sweat off his brows. He hadn't recorded anything substantial since his phone was in his pockets which obstructed the camera but the whole conversation had still been recorded.
[DING]
[Congratulations for clearing the hidden quests Survive the danger.'
[Rewarded with 50 QP]
"Can such a thing even be called a quest?"
[It can't. The system detected that the host was too poor to spend money to earn QP and at this rate, it would take years to generate QP to open the shop.]
[So, this almighty system took pity on the poor host and released some hidden quests. Once you have opened the shop, you won't get such a small quest.]
"That means I will get bigger ones," Evan rubbed his chin and then shrugged his shoulders.
"I have no problem as long as you don't ask me to do something against my will."
Evan touched his cheek which had swelled till now and was about to leave when he spotted the Assistant Professor.
She was a captivating woman, with light brown hair flowing gracefully and framing her face with a touch of radiance. Standing at 165 cm, she exuded effortless style in a slim silver top that complemented her complexion, paired perfectly with jeans, radiating a chic, casual yet sophisticated aura.
Evan's eyes lit up as he thought of something.
"I can ask her to teach me. Previously, I was too scared to seek guidance, but the new me will surely get things done."
He remembered that he used to receive assistance from Professors but he also received brutal scoldings since he didn't know many basic things, which made him hesitant to ask for help. But now, things were different.
With this thought in mind, Evan chased after her, thinking of the right question to ask.
[What the hell? The first thing that comes to your mind after seeing a beauty is to ask for guidance instead of your heart beating wildly. Are you even a man?]
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