Chapter 161 (1/2)

Howard received his reward from the headmaster, bowing his head as he accepted the box of pills and golden medallion. As the first person to pass the entrance exam, this was his right—even if he did have a little mishap with the door. He was given a universe pill and a great scholar medallion along with the standard thirty spirit-gathering pills that were distributed to everyone in the top ten. The headmaster placed his aged hand on Howard’s shoulder. “Work hard.”

Howard nodded an bowed his head even lower. This was the first step to his rise to greatness. When the headmaster’s body stopped blocking the light, Howard glanced at the other two people standing on the stage with him. The second-place student was a girl, the one who had ridden the ostrich. The testing formation outside didn’t only gauge one’s endurance. As long as their willpower was high enough, they would instantly pass the test. If it weren’t for that, Howard would’ve had to make do with second place. As for the third-place contestant…, Howard wasn’t quite sure what to think about … him? Her? It? Simply put, the third-place student was a spiritually enlightened cactus. It was a tall cactus with a long torso, stubby green cactus legs, and stubby green cactus arms. In the middle of its body, where a human’s stomach would be, there was a face made of knots and gouges.

Howard noticed the headmaster had touched every student’s shoulder except for the cactus’. For a brief moment, Howard felt sorry for the cactus, but then he realized the cactus probably didn’t care. Spiritually enlightened plants didn’t care much for companionship, love, attention, or feelings; they didn’t have pride or greed. All they wanted was spiritual energy, sunlight, and water. However, Howard thought he saw something in the cactus’ expression, but he couldn’t be sure. The plant’s face wasn’t very expressive. Howard turned his attention away from the cactus. He wasn’t concerned about it. His greatest rival should be the girl who was in second place. She was staring off into space, and it made Howard wonder if she also saw floating lines of text in her vision. Speaking of which, the floating text was telling him to do something strange.

[New Mission: Building Connections!]

[What is a great student? A student who spends all his time alone in the library? A student who aces every exam? No! A great student is one who builds lots of connections whilst in school! There are only so many things a single person can achieve by themselves, and they’ll find it impossible to do certain things without the help of others. As a student attending the greatest academy in the world, your current peers are bound to be future leaders of the world, moving mountains and splitting seas with one command. Having these people as your allies will help you accomplish difficult tasks with twice the result and half the effort. Before the week is over, become someone’s sworn brother!]

[Reward: Eidetic Memory]

Howard’s brow furrowed. Could something like eidetic memory even be given as a reward? Who wouldn’t want the ability to remember everything they saw simply by glancing at it once? What exactly was this system that he had encountered?

[You can doubt your own eyes and ears, but you shouldn’t doubt the system! Giving you eidetic memory is simply the first step, a minor reward.]

Really? Howard raised his eyebrows. What other rewards did the system have?

[User level too low! Please become a better student to unlock more information about the system.]

Howard’s expression darkened. When he was about to question the system some more, the girl beside him shuffled away. He turned his head to look at her, but she was staring at him as if he were mentally troubled. What was going on?

[Your expression changed three times in the span of five seconds. It’d be weird if someone didn’t think you had a problem. If you’re thinking of making that girl your sworn sister, I suggest you look elsewhere to accomplish your mission. The first impression you gave her is simply too strong. From now on, she’ll only see you as the weirdo until you do something major to change her perception.]

Howard turned his head away. It wasn’t like he was planning on becoming sworn brother and sister with his greatest rival. He would use her as a whetstone, a motivational tool to keep training. If he ever slacked, then she’d surpass him, and he wouldn’t allow that to happen. He had to be the best!

[Being the best doesn’t mean anything! Hurry up and search for someone worthy of being your sworn brother!]

“Dismissed!”