"The physical test results are out. The results detail resilience, resistance and physical tenacity. Strength decides explosive power, physical strength, and body shape. When intelligence goes up, it becomes much easier to learn. Now, all that’s left is agility."
He focused on the Agility icon.
Soon, it jumped to 0.33 from 0.23.
Within the instant during which the number changed, Garen felt his body turn lighter. His sight turned dim, and his brain was blank as if many things had been moved out of his body.
He felt like he had taken off a heavy iron suit. His body became incredibly light, and he felt like he could jump onto the roof with just a single stomp on the floor.
"From what I have concluded, the different attributes of ordinary people should only be around 0.3. Originally, my speed was lower than the others, and that’s why I ran very slowly. These numbers are hard to measure though. It would have been better if all these numbers could be converted with a normal human’s abilities as 1 instead."
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, the numbers in his sight began to gradually change.
After more than 10 seconds, the numbers had completely changed.
Strength: 1.77; Agility: 1.10; Vitality: 1.03; Intelligence: 1.20; Potential: 80%.
"So the display will change according to the desires I have in my mind. I guess my strength should be over one and a half times the strength of ordinary people. No wonder I could break a thick glass plane and pass the 200-pound sand bag challenge so easily ."
He turned off the light and opened the window for some fresh air, after which he took off his clothes and lay on his bed. With his entire body filled with the feeling of lightness, he eventually stopped thinking and, very soon, he fell asleep.
He didn’t know how much time had passed since he fell asleep. When he woke up and opened his eyes, he suddenly heard the door of his room being opened; a short figure slid in and stood beside the door, quietly looking at him. It was Ying Er.
She was wearing the school uniform, which had a short skirt. On her slim waist was a silver zipper. The skirt was only enough to cover her thighs, and her black pantyhose was obvious.
"Brother, in fact… In fact… I…"
Garen drowsily got up.
"Ying Er? What are you doing here so late?" He looked at his sister on the bedside. Under the moonlight, he felt that his sister seemed to be more beautiful and purer. When she unconsciously grabbed her short skirt with her head low, all he could see was the pink on her face.
"Brother… You… don’t get close to other girls… Can you do that?" Ying Er’s voice was as small as an ant.
"Are you talking about Ai FeI? We’re just friends." Garen thought about the night when he walked Ai Fei back. With the suspicion in Ai Fei’s eyes while she looked at him, he knew what she meant.
It looked like Ai Fei suspected that Garen liked her, and that that was why he always protected her. Because of that, she didn’t allow him to send her home. It wasn’t simply not letting others know her home address; it was also turning down his pursuit.
"I’ve just been turned down. Now, my sister is expressing her love to me? Ying Er… Only you are so naive to think that your brother is the best. You think all girls will like me, like I will be snatched away from you at any second. Well, not every girl thinks so." Garen felt bitter in his heart.
"So is it that woman who keeps on pestering you? Annoying…!" Ying Er curled her hand into a fist. "As long as you promise me you will never talk to that Ai Fei anymore, I will… I will stop beating you up."
Garen twitched his mouth and didn’t say anything. He felt the words "stop beating you up" were so weird when they came out of his sister’s mouth.
Ying Er didn’t get any response. She lowered her head a little bit more, thinking that Garen was refusing.
"As long as you promise… Then I will… I can… I will let you…"
She stepped ahead, took his hand, and slowly pulled it beneath her skirt.
Garen was frozen in place. From his right hand, he felt a warm and moist feeling that engulfed his entire body. His blood began to boil and, with his body's rising temperature, a thirst overwhelmed him. His private part was as hard as an iron stick, causing him to feel a bit of pain.
Finally, he couldn’t hold it!
"Ying Er!" He finally couldn’t help it anymore. He suddenly sat up and grabbed his sister’s waist with his other hand.
"Bang!"
"Ouch…"
Garen opened his eyes.
"Which ceiling is this…" He looked confused. He reached out his left hand and found his fingernails were bloody. "No… It should be a familiar ceiling, the new me is just still not used to it yet…"
"So it was a dream… I was wondering how Ying Er’s personality changed so much. She actually came to me late after midnight." He looked at the ceiling, a red background with black lattices. He felt so lazy that he didn’t want to move, and he was also a bit disappointed.
While the cold wind blew into the room through the windows, his bed felt warm and cozy. Inside and outside were two seemingly different worlds.
"I guess I have been infected by this world… In this world, relatives further than three generations could be married. Let alone Ying Er, my sister who is not actually my real sister. It is quite normal that I imagine something about her."
He slowly took away the quilt and looked at the nightstand. On the edge of the table was a scratch; it must have been his nails that made it.
He got up from the bed, grabbed his clothes, and put them on. He added a cotton underclothes under his shirt; it appeared a formal suit of long pants and black coat.
"Mom, there is a hole in my clothes. What should I do?" There came his sister’s voice from the living room.
"Take it to Mark the tailor. Your brother’s clothes were ripped yesterday. Get them done together." The voice of his mother, Vania, sounded.
"’Nia, hurry. We have to go. The company car is about to arrive," his father urged. "Where is my tie? My red one!"
"In the closet."
"It isn’t there."
"Then use the black one!"
"Fine, so be it. Move faster!"
"Ying Er, please come and help me with the zipper on my back. It’s jammed!"
"Okay, mother."
Garen opened the bedroom door and stood beside it.
In the living room, his father, Eisen, was busy with his tie, and his mother was putting on a long dress with his sister’s help.
"Are you up, Garen? Our breakfast is bread, milk and an egg for each of us. If it’s not warm enough, put it into the oven for a few seconds. We’re leaving now, we’re going to be late." His mother zipped the dress and tidied it up. She rushed out through the door with her bag in hand.
"Hurry and eat, then go to school. I’m off!" Eisen left too.
Bang.
The door was closed.
His sister took a breath out and turned around to look at Garen.
"Hurry up and go wash yourself. We’ve got a bus to catch after breakfast. It is almost seven!"
"Okay." Garen walked to the washroom. He twisted the faucet and splashed some cold water on his face.
The water made his skin tense up. He didn’t feel sleepy at all anymore.
"Today is the day of my competition. Promise me that you will come and see me," Ying Er shouted from outside the washroom as she dressed up. "If you dare go watch the girls’ swimming game like you did last time, I’ll make you beg for mercy!" She raised her fist and shook it.
"Alright, alright…" Garen helplessly shook his head. He had been living for dozens of years, so how would he be controlled by the emotions of a young boy? The dream must have been a reflection of a memory from his past.
Hmm, it must be.
Facing the mirror, he tried to convince himself.
In that mirror, there was a young man who had dark purple hair and red eyes. His skin was pale and exquisite. There was nothing like a pimple on him. He was also emitting a natural sense of confidence and vigor.
"Come on, stop it. Let me use it!"
Ying Er brushed up close to him from his right. She moved her head so that both she and Garen could use the mirror at the same time. She cautiously tidied her hair before looking at Garen’s face. All of a sudden, a blush appeared on her face.
"That face in the old days was a lot safer…" she murmured.
"What did you say?" Garen didn’t hear what she said.
"Nothing, hurry up."
It was still the same life: catching a bus, attending a class, and eating. There would be a competition in the afternoon, so the classes were cut short.
Garen followed the students in the school to the outdoor shooting field.
***
Students from different classes gathered together and formed groups one after another. Some of them even raised their hands holding wooden sticks with banners saying "XXX Go For It". Some of them actually started yelling like a cheer squad.
The shooting field had two parts: the arrow targets and the shooting fence. The participants needed to shoot from the fence while aiming at the target on the other side. Their scores depended on the rings they would shoot.
Garen found a place on the left to watch the competition. There were some students and teachers around.
The sunlight seemed pale, and the temperature wasn’t too high.
Garen waited for a while. After three groups of people, it was finally Ying Er’s turn.
She was wearing a clean white shooting robe with a black pant-skirt. It looked like an ancient Chinese dress with black and white colors. She was wearing a pair of yellow gloves and, with one hand, she held a brown wooden bow which was over a meter long.
She slowly walked to the other two players; both of them were standing still on three shooting spots. They put on a brown leather chest plate, which covered half of their chest.
"Here comes Ying Er from Class 6 Grade 1, Ilya from Class 7 Grade 1, and David Jones from Class 8 Grade 1. Ying Er from Class 6 is an outstanding player in the Department of Archery. Yi Li Ya has won a medal in a competition in the city. David Jones has just began competing, so it must be quite a challenge for him this time…"
While holding a speaker, a teacher was loudly commentating.
"Elizabeth from Class 7 Grade 3 has shot five tens. A peak record like that is nearly impossible for others to break. Now, let’s see whether Ying Er or the next up Su Man can break the record."
Standing from afar, Garen looked at his sister, and Ying Er also looked back at him. He hurriedly smiled and waved his hand.
Ying Er felt calm. As the preparation sounded, she slowly raised and drew her bow.