"Are you okay? You look... strange."
Mimi's face twisted as she leaned back slightly, the chair creaking beneath her.
Chen Guang's smile twitched, just a little more, and it would've looked completely unhinged.
"Ah, no… I'm fine. Just a little shocked."
He scratched his head.
He tried to smile, but it didn't sit right on his face.
"It's gone, whatever. Safer this way, I guess."
Thump.
A hand landed on his shoulder.
Chen Guang's eyes snapped wide open, then quickly returned to normal.
It's been a while...
"Thanks. By the way, what time is it?"
Outside, the sunlight was already fading into orange.
"Oh—it's already past six? Sorry for bothering you, I'll head back to my room now."
"Huh? Back where?"
"My hospital room. Room 307."
Straightening her clothes, Mimi placed the plate neatly on the cabinet.
"If you have time… come visit me, okay?"
Her face flushed red.
She turned and hurried for the door.
"Hey, wait—"
Mimi opened the door, then suddenly turned back.
"I almost forgot, I'm getting discharged tomorrow!~"
She lightly bonked her own head, laughing sheepishly.
"I'm getting discharged tomorrow too."
"Really? Then we're leaving on the same day!"
A brief silence—
Then, somehow, they both started laughing.
"Then, see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeah. Tomorrow."
Mimi grinned and pulled the door shut behind her.
See you tomorrow, huh?
Chen Guang scratched the back of his neck before sitting down beside the bed.
"I should go visit Ling before leaving tomorrow."
He lay back, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Special patients are only allowed one visit per week."
Nurse Kim's voice echoed faintly in his mind.
Chen Guang let out a long sigh.
What a damn stupid rule.
He waved his hand through the air.
The system interface appeared before him.
"Seriously…"
A bitter smile spread across his face as he tapped on [QUEST].
"This thing totally played me."
[SIDE QUEST: ELIMINATE THE BOSS]
[STATUS: COMPLETED]
[REWARD: INVENTORY FUNCTION UNLOCKED]
"I was this close to dying, and this is it?!"
He ground his teeth, the taste still stuck in his mouth.
"Didn't really check this earlier."
Letting out a long breath, he tapped on the third tab next to [SKILLS], which was glowing faintly in gold.
[INVENTORY]
[DESCRIPTION: A SPACE WHERE THE HOST CAN STORE ITEMS]
1… 2… 3…
…5.
"Only five slots? That's it?!"
He screamed inside.
[THE NUMBER OF INVENTORY SLOTS CORRESPONDS TO THE HOST'S BASE STRENGTH STAT]
[QUEST CHAIN UNLOCKED. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCEPT?]
"A quest chain… so it's like a series of connected quests?"
Chen Guang pressed the flickering [ACCEPT] button.
"This interface is shady as hell, I don't even think I've ever seen a 'Decline' option."
He frowned.
[QUEST CHAIN: INVENTORY EXPANSION]
[FIRST QUEST: INCREASE BASE STRENGTH TO 0.4]
[REWARD: UNLOCK ONE ADDITIONAL INVENTORY SLOT]
"Huh? Increase strength? How am I supposed to do that?"
Chen Guang blinked, narrowing his eyes as he reread the line.
[BASE STRENGTH CAN BE INCREASED THROUGH PHYSICAL TRAINING ACTIVITIES]
"Huh?"
He froze for a second.
Then his face went pale.
"Don't tell me... this means working out?"
His lips trembled.
Sweat soaked his back, even with the AC running.
"Can I just go fight monsters instead?"
The room fell silent.
"Yeah. What was I even expecting?"
Chen Guang scratched his head roughly.
"Nothing comes free with this thing."
His gaze drifted toward the interface still floating in midair.
What the hell does it even want from me?
He hesitated for a moment, then tapped the first slot in the [INVENTORY].
"Good thing I still have those crystals."
He tapped the image of a pale blue crystal.
[E-RANK CRYSTAL x10]
[BASIC CRYSTAL]
[VALUE: LOW]
[QUALITY: NORMAL]
[ENERGY VALUE: 10]
"Another new term, what the hell is 'energy value' supposed to mean?"
Chen Guang ran a hand through his hair.
[ENERGY VALUE: THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY AN OBJECT CAN STORE]
"Hmm, so it's like capacity?"
He glanced at the empty cup sitting on the cabinet nearby.
"300 milliliters, something like that?"
He looked back at the interface.
"Now—the C-rank crystal!!"
The corner of his lips curled into a crooked grin.
He tapped on the image beside it.
A crimson crystal.
"Huh?"
Chen Guang rubbed his eyes.
"WHAT?!"
He shouted, then immediately clamped both hands over his mouth, glancing around in panic.
[A-RANK CRYSTAL x1]
"An… A-rank crystal?!!!"
His hands trembled as a chill ran down his spine.
[HIGH-GRADE CRYSTAL]
[QUALITY: SUPERIOR]
[ENERGY VALUE: 20000]
His breathing quickened.
His fingers tightened until his knuckles went pale.
His eyes locked onto every word.
[STATUS: LOCKED]
"Huh? Locked? What does that mean?"
His expression eased a little.
[LOCKED ITEMS CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THE INVENTORY]
"Are you kidding me?! Damn it!!"
Chen Guang threw a punch at the interface, fury flashing in his eyes.
The screen remained floating in place, his arm passed straight through it.
"Tch, can't even touch it?!"
Grinding his teeth, he pulled his hand back.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, then let it out slowly.
"How do I unlock it?"
[THE UNLOCK FUNCTION WILL BECOME AVAILABLE AFTER REACHING A CERTAIN STAGE IN THE QUEST CHAIN]
With a swipe of his hand, the interface vanished instantly.
"So in the end, I still have to work out."
He collapsed onto the bed, limbs sprawled out.
"But that red one, it's A-rank? I thought it was C-rank?!"
Resting an arm over his forehead, he stared blankly out the window.
Night slowly swallowed the sky.
Lights flickered on in the buildings across the street.
She was right, maybe I really should go relearn the basics.
His thoughts drifted.
Before he knew it, sleep took over.
*****
"Wait… how is there an A-rank crystal in an E-rank portal?"
Chen Guang muttered, brow furrowing as he tried to recall something.
"Chen Guang, are you waiting for someone?"
Mimi's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Ah, no, I was just thinking about something."
He forced a smile and scribbled his signature across the stack of papers.
Still can't visit her.
He sat down on a bench in the hallway, staring blankly ahead.
"Sorry, it's not my shift today. And Nurse Wang is… pretty strict."
Sister Kim's voice still echoed in his mind.
"It's alright."
Chen Guang gave a faint smile.
"Rules are rules."
"Chen Guang, I'm done!"
Mimi's voice interrupted his thoughts once again.
"Oh, you're done? Then let's go."
"Do you have any plans next?"
He paused mid-step.
Right...
What am I supposed to do now?
"Hmm… I'll probably sign up for the basic Vanguard training course."
"Wow, really? Then I'll sign up too!"
Mimi beamed, practically bouncing with excitement.
"But, how do we sign up?"
"Just head to the Bureau branch. It's always open for registration."
Chen Guang pulled out his phone to check his bank balance.
The cracked screen, filled with flickering lines, forced him to squint just to read it.
[Current Balance: 35,000,000 CREDITS]
He let out a long sigh.
"I should probably get a new phone..."
"...before this thing explodes in my face."
"I'll go with you."
Mimi's eyes lit up, like this was some kind of big adventure.
"Alright, let me call a ride first."
He gritted his teeth, struggling to tap the screen, selecting the cheapest option available.
200,000 credits… since when were rides this expensive?
He swallowed hard.
Maybe I should just walk instead?
His finger hovered over the cancel button.
"Get in, Chen Guang, what are you waiting for?"
Mimi called out again, snapping him out of it.
A sleek, luxurious car stopped right in front of him, polished enough to reflect his face.
"Huh? I didn't call a ride."
"My car."
Mimi tilted her head.
"Come on, get in."
She patted the seat beside her.
Chen Guang froze.
Then got in without a word.
*****
[Current Balance: 30,000,000 CREDITS]
Chen Guang stared at the notification on his brand-new phone.
Damn… that hurts.
He clutched his chest, face twisting.
"The registration fee for the basic course is 2 million per person. Please review the details carefully."
The receptionist slid a tablet across to Chen Guang and Mimi.
"Here."
Ting.
"Please wait a moment while I confirm."
"Payment received. Here is your student card. We wish you a pleasant learning experience."
Mimi grabbed the card, practically glowing with excitement.
"Excuse me, what does this part mean?"
Chen Guang pointed to a section in the middle of the tablet.
"Upon completing registration, students will have free access to the Bureau's training facilities for one year."
"Of course, the equipment may not be as advanced as private gyms, but it is fully sufficient for basic training."
The receptionist didn't even look up as she spoke.
She's definitely memorized that whole script.
Chen Guang paused, then kept reading.
"I'll pay."
"Please wait a moment while I confirm."
"Payment received. Here is your student card. We wish you a pleasant learning experience."
Damn. Not even a single word changed.
[Current Balance: 28,000,000 CREDITS]
"At least I get a free gym for a whole year."
Chen Guang let out a slow breath.
"Oh, right—do you buy crystals here? I have ten E-rank crystals."
He suddenly remembered and turned back toward the counter.
"Yes. Please place the crystals here. I will have them appraised and priced."
The receptionist took out a velvet-lined tray and placed it on the counter.
Clatter.
Ten pale blue crystals spilled from his pocket onto the tray.
"Please wait a moment."
She carried the tray to a machine behind her.
A beam of light scanned across them, followed by a series of soft beeps.
"Appraisal complete. The quality meets standards. Purchase price is 600,000 credits per crystal. Do you accept?"
"Wait—600,000? I thought the base price for E-rank crystals was only 500,000?"
"The quality of your crystals is above average. The system has appraised them at 600,000. Do you accept this price?"
The corner of his lips lifted.
A clean profit of one million.
"I accept, of course I accept."
"Please sign here."
Chen Guang quickly scribbled his name on the document.
[+6,000,000 CREDITS]
[SENDER: VANGUARD BUREAU – XXX BRANCH]
[CURRENT BALANCE: 34,000,000 CREDITS]
"Yes, I've received it. Thank you."
Turning away, Chen Guang gripped his phone tightly.
His lips pressed together, barely holding back a scream.
"You seem happy."
"Yeah, I really am."
He slipped his phone into his pocket and hung the student card around his neck.
"The class starts in an hour. Maybe we should grab something to eat."
Mimi rubbed her stomach.
"Yeah, I haven't eaten anything either. I'm starving."
She's gotten a lot more comfortable around me.
Chen Guang smiled faintly.
Then—
A cold, metallic sound cut through the air.
[NEW QUEST INITIATED]
[MANDATORY QUEST: SURVIVE THE TRAINING SESSION WITHIN THE TIME LIMIT]
[REWARD: GENE DEVELOPMENT MAP UNLOCKED]
[TIME LIMIT: ACTIVATES UPON ENTERING THE QUEST AREA]
[WARNING: FAILURE MEANS DEATH]
"Chen Guang."
"Chen Guang!"
"Chen Guang, can you hear me?"
Mimi's voice snapped him back—again.
"Chen Guang, are you okay? Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"
Sweat poured down his face.
His body trembled, like something was crawling under his skin.
His hands clenched into fists.
With sheer willpower, he forced his legs, shaking uncontrollably, to stay in place.
You've got to be kidding me.
What the hell kind of mission is this?!