through all the books in this library.
Excuse me, the library is not open during lunch break. A soft and gentle female voice
suddenly sounded from behind him. Its sweetness made him think of the soothing lullaby
of an angel.
With a quick glance behind him, Aiden noticed a long-haired beauty smiling at him from
the reception desk. She seemed to be around 20 years old and had a pretty oval face
with a little makeup on. Her silky black hair flowed down her shoulders like a gentle
waterfall and her long pale yellow skirt covered her legs, making her look slim and
graceful.
She was the librarian, always refined and elegant. Aiden remembered her name from the
first time he had visited the library. Miss Matthews, I have nothing to do and nowhere to
go.
Please take pity on me and let me read some books here. Aiden clasped his hands and
begged sincerely. Serena Matthews thought to herself, There are not so many diligent
students here and it might also be quite nice to have some company.
As her heart softened, she let out a charming smile and said, I'll let you come in here at
noon on two conditions. Firstly, you must read and study quietly. Secondly, you must not
disturb me.
Thank you, Miss Matthews. Overjoyed, Aiden immediately switched his gaze from the
librarian to the vast sea of knowledge flowing through the library. As for the reason why
Serena Matthews remained at her post at noon and did not want others to disturb her,
Aiden knew a little about it from Mason Lee, the class king of gossip.
Mason, an oddball in junior year, never paid attention in class but would take out his
comic books and read them with relish. Still more bizarrely, he had created a book of
beauties allegedly filled with information about the various beauties in the school from
their birthdays to their measurements, including all the most admired girls in the entire
school and even the librarian, who is one of the most mysterious people in the school.
According to what Mason had told the class, Serena Matthews had obtained the position
as librarian at Otis High immediately after graduating with a bachelor's degree.
She was always to be found studying in the library at noon as if planning to continue with
a master's degree. In his admiration for Miss Matthews' diligence, Aiden found himself
wandering through the ocean of books. Which book should I start with? He wondered.
Military, law, philosophy? Those subjects aren't much use to me at the moment.
Agriculture, industry, environment? Even more useless for now. After thinking about his
options carefully, Aiden selected books on subjects such as math and English.
Flipping through the pages of the textbooks he has selected, it seemed that only the
books from the library would keep his abilities from plateauing. Ding, math ability, plus
one. Ding, English language, plus one.
Ding, knowledge of history, plus one. When the afternoon bell rang, Aiden had increased
his proficiency in a range of subjects by around five points, yet he did not feel fatigued or
drowsy at all. Ding, focus on studying, concentration ability, plus one.
Current progress, one out of ten. Current level, beginner. So that's how it works.
The more focused you are, the more efficient and less fatigued you will be. After politely
saying goodbye to Miss Matthews, he rushed back to his class, only to be met with an
empty classroom. Taking a look at his afternoon schedule, he realized his blunder.
The first lesson of the afternoon was physical education. In a moment of panic, Aiden
bolted from the classroom to the sports field, almost arriving late for the lesson. The
moment they lined up, Aiden noticed Alan slowly walking over from the other side of the
field, his hands in his pockets.
Although apparently recovered from his initial shock from the morning, he looked
viciously at Aiden. Seeing Alan's furious expression, Aiden became more alert, wondering
how Alan might try to stir up trouble again. In the physical education class, the students
were practicing basketball.
Junior year's PE teacher was Nathan Turner, a handsome young man in his early 20s. His
stylish haircut suited him, as did his black and white sportswear, and he always
appeared cheerful and positive. Since junior year had about the same number of male
and female students, Mr. Turner divided them into two training groups by gender.
The ordinary high school students, who had never played basketball before, would
obviously start by practicing how to dribble a basketball. Aiden had little interest in
basketball. After playing a few rounds, he found an excuse to sit by the sidelines to laze
around.
Beneath the tree at the side of the field, Aiden leaned against the trunk and closed his
eyes to rest for a moment. Even with his eyes closed, he would still be constantly
strengthening his abilities. How great would it be if he could simply lie down and earn
money? The autumn sun soon embraced Aiden in its warmth and comfort as it shone
down on him, causing him to succumb to his sloth.
Viola, who was sitting a little ways away with the female students, found herself gazing
toward the shade of the tree in the distance. Vi, look how distracted you are! Hurry up
and go find your little lover. If Mr. Turner asks where you went, we'll just tell him that you
went to the toilet.
Teased by the girls, Viola's face and ears suddenly flushed red in embarrassment. What
little lover? Stop talking nonsense! But despite her rebuttal, she quickly bit her lower lip
and shyly said, Don't forget your promise! With that, she ran towards Aiden. Behind her,
a group of teenage girls were giggling.
Aiden's ears twitched as his enhanced hearing alerted him to the movement of the
person closing in on him. Had the teacher caught him lazing around? Opening his eyes
slightly, he noticed a small, perspiring face slowly moving closer to him. As he sniffed,
the hint of a girl's scent lingered in his nostrils, jolting his sense of smell.
Viola truly lived up to her reputation as the class beauty. He was happy to see her. Viola,
what's the matter? Viola turned away shyly and passed a bottle of mineral water to
Aiden.
Oh, I see. You want me to open it for you, right? Aiden took the bottle of water and
opened its cap, but as he was about to pass it back, Viola lowered her head and said
softly, It's... it's for you. Aiden was stunned for a moment before he responded with a
smile.
Thanks, Viola. The apples you gave yesterday were delicious, too. He gulped down a few
mouthfuls of the cold mineral water.
Viola raised her head and said happily, Then I'll bring it to you every day. Looking at
each other with shy, young smiles, they were a beautiful sight to behold. But for one
person, they fanned a fire of jealousy.
Alan clenched his fists and trembled in rage as he looked at the couple in the distance in
the shade of the tree. Give me the ball! He shouted at a boy who was dribbling the
basketball, causing him to instinctively pass the ball to him in shock. Alan began
dribbling the basketball, not towards the hoop, but instead towards Aiden and Viola.
Pretending to lose control of it, he cunningly added a bit more force and sent the
basketball flying in Aiden's direction. Aiden, go to hell! Alan's bloodshot eyes opened
wide. His expression twisted like a man who had lost his mind.