Chapter 21: Butterfingers (1/2)
Chapter 21: Butterfingers
Translator: OneshotwonderEditor: Tehrn
A great explorer used to say, ”What exhausts me isn't the high mountain peaks, but that grain of sand that is stuck on my insole.”
Wang Tong felt that Applied Math was that grain of sand rubbing him irritatingly on his climb of the seemingly impenetrable peak, the monthly test. It rubbed him in the classroom, outside of the classroom, on weekdays, and also on weekends. The ceaseless irritation exhausted him, and he didn't even have a moment of respite to savor the wonderful fact that he was only a few paces away from the girl's dormitory.
”I still don’t understand this,” Wang Tong thought, ”Why would a battlefield commander need to know the application of math in building a warship?” Annoyance aside, the difficulties of these subjects had inspired awe in Wang Tong towards those who took the major in Applied Science. He could not even fathom their intelligence and thought there was no surprise that major weapon manufacturers chased after their talents as soon as they were graduated.
”Hey Kiddo, it’s about time.”
”About time for what?”
”Your debts, I had been waiting for a week, it's about time for us to go for another fight in the PA, and don't you complain about me disturbing your studies, I have given you a lot of time.”
”Ahh, right, I almost forgot about it! Let's do it.” Wang Tong was glad that Mr. Wannabe brought it up, since he had been desperate to take a break from studying over the weekend, and the fight had just given him a perfect excuse.
Surprised at how easily Wang Tong had agreed, Mr. Wannabe nodded: ”Excellent, you are quite a help after all.”
After Wang Tong's careful assessment, he was confident that Samantha would be disappointed at the outcome of her plan to get rid of him, thanks to two ace cards up his sleeve that he would leverage during the monthly test.
Knowing he wouldn't need to do well in any of the basic subjects, Wang Tong fled away from the hellish theories of numerals, leaving a gust of wind that swooped up a few pages and messed up the neatly arranged notes.
The owner of the Dream-Heaven recognized Wang Tong immediately as he stepped in, he smiled at Wang Tong and said, ”Hey buddy, I left the terminal number five just for you, it's one of our best.”
”Thank you,” Wang Tong nodded. He didn't care about the quality of the terminals, as long as he could vent his thirst for battle. The sudden transition from the savagery on Norton to the quiet, if not boring, studies at Ayrlarng, had made him thirst for the thrill of battles.
He logged onto PA as he noticed a message in his mailbox, a challenge invitation.
”Kiddo, find a tougher opponent this time, they don't seem to teach the students like they used to anymore, they’re too weak even for you,” Mr. Wannabe grumbled.
Wang Tong knew there were tougher opponents out there somewhere, but the problem was where to find them, the search was made more difficult due to Wang Tong's low level since it would deter most strong players as they too were searching for worthy opponents.
Upon closer examination of the profile of the two challengers who had left him the message, Wang Tong noticed that both of them were under twenty but already had been using third tier METAL suits. Unfortunately they were both offline; otherwise, they would have been the opponents Wang Tong was looking for.
Since the time spent on cultivation had a significant impact on one's strength, TPA had devised an age rule which divided the players into a few age groups in order to balance the in-game competition.
Players who aged twenty or under formed a group and from there, every five more years of age formed a subsequent age group since five years' of cultivation would have made a noticeable uptick in one's strength.