After receiving two gifts from Lin Jiu, Fang Tian was certain of one thing.
This nominal first "companion" of his was an out-and-out super-rich tycoon. He resolved to make raising Lin Jiu's Favorability his top priority for now.
It wasn't a question of money. Mainly, he felt Lin Jiu was a decent person, a good friend worth getting close to.
It was his third day at Qingkong University. Though no end of unforeseen upheavals had cropped up in between, he'd held on stubbornly to this day. The moment he plugged in the laptop, Fang Tian eagerly downloaded a 2D horror game, and after an hour and a half of play, the first daily quest he'd ever received finally came to an end.
With the familiar chime, a dialogue box popped up.
『Daily quest complete: "Type 'Scared' in the Chat" (Beginner). After three days of nerve training, you have made a first step toward overcoming your fear of ghosts and monsters.』
『Your Sanity has risen by 1.』
『New recipe obtained: Calming Tea Leaves (Honey Type). You can now brew it yourself per the recipe.』
『You have gained a new talent: Friend of Ghosts.』
『New quest triggered: "Friend of Fierce Ghosts" (Beginner). Dealing with ghosts and monsters is a long-term process; sustained nerve training is indispensable.』
『Quest objective: over fifteen consecutive days, play no less than two hours of horror games each day.』
After reading the box, Fang Tian called up his character panel and found a new talent named 『Friend of Ghosts』 had appeared after his stats:
『Friend of Ghosts (Basic): ghosts feel a natural affinity for you. Monsters with the 'Ghost' attribute have their Favorability toward you permanently raised by 5, and gain a 10% stat boost when fighting for you. Your chance of encountering ghosts is greatly increased. Humans' Favorability toward you is permanently lowered by 5.』
Hey, why does this talent come with a side effect?
Of all things to lower, it had to be human Favorability — which meant that from now on, no matter whom he met, their Favorability toward him would start at negative 5?
Fang Tian could even picture the nickname he was about to earn — Fang Tian, the Insufferable Classmate.
And this talent was marked "Basic," meaning its effect would strengthen as he completed daily quests. By the day it reached full bloom, human Favorability toward him would probably start at negative 50 across the board.
Still, the talent's upside was nothing to scoff at. The boost to Ghost-attribute Favorability roughly offset the drop in human Favorability, and the key was that 10% stat boost at the mere Beginner tier. Any player who understood game numbers knew that anything with a percentage attached was usually a powerful character who came online in the late game.
In other words, his role might be Position 5, but he was also a late-game carry. On this one talent alone, he could likely become a heavy hitter on the order of a Ghost-faction overlord; with such a fearsome percentage bonus, by the late game he'd have no trouble clearing maps with a few Ghost-faction companions in tow.
The other good news was that Lin Jiu, his starting Poké— ahem, good friend, happened to possess the Ghost attribute.
The new talent suddenly filled Fang Tian with boundless longing for the future. After indulging in a vision of himself as a Ghost-faction overlord, he decided to return to reality and begin his journey as a Monster Appreciator with both feet on the ground.
He ate a bowl of instant noodles, rehydrated, and at the risk of sudden death — having gone a whole night without sleep — resolutely set out for the sports field.
The 3,000-meter daily had finally reached its harvest day. Now was the critical moment to push through in one breath and lay a foundation for the future.
When Fang Tian reached the field, it already held no small number of joggers out exercising. What he didn't know was that, single-handedly, he'd kicked off a long-running craze at Qingkong.
If a mere scumbag worked this hard, what excuse did they have to indulge themselves?
Before Fang Tian even started jogging, he reaped a wave of complicated stares.
They were stares where contempt and admiration coexisted — though Fang Tian couldn't quite work out how two such opposite emotions had managed to fuse into a single look.
The students on the field watched him a while and, for no clear reason, arrived at the same thought: Classmate Fang Tian today seemed even more insufferable than usual.
There were exceptions, though — Su Xiao, for instance, out on her routine jog. Seeing the scumbag who'd laid his wandering hands on her that first night of term, she'd meant to leave at once; yet somehow she suddenly found Fang Tian a good deal more agreeable today.
She had no idea where this inexplicable sense of affinity came from, so she couldn't help stealing a few more glances.
After observing on the sly a while, Su Xiao found Fang Tian didn't seem to have noticed her. He'd put on his over-ear headphones and started running alone. She quickened her pace and slipped along behind him.
At this moment Fang Tian was wholly immersed in his own world. Even with two added points of Stamina, a panel of 5 was only an average person's level — not even strong — and 3,000 meters was a nightmare ordeal for an ordinary person.
The two points of Stamina had successfully evolved Fang Tian from "near-death after 3,000 meters" to "half-dead." The three days of hellish training were finally nearing their end. Hearing the system's heavenly chime, Fang Tian thrillingly performed a textbook knee-slide celebration, sweat flying as he exulted — anyone who didn't know better would think this man had scored a goal at the World Cup.
Su Xiao, who'd observed him the whole way, was left dumbstruck. She couldn't fathom how a man who collapsed after 3,000 meters could carry on like a world-class athlete. In her own training regimen, 3,000 meters was merely the most basic conditioning.
"Finally done!"
Fang Tian thrust his right arm high without thinking. "I'm never running 3,000 meters again as long as I live!"
『Flag Beginner skill activated successfully. Skill proficiency 6/15.』
The skill-proficiency notice was like a basin of cold water dumped over his head. An ominous premonition gradually took shape in his heart, so much so that he skipped right past the daily-quest reward and stopped at the new quest, "Running in the Sunset."
The good news: he never had to run 3,000 meters again.
The bad news: the follow-up daily had become 5,000 meters, for 15 days.
Fang Tian's vision went black, his face turning thoroughly green.
Su Xiao watched Fang Tian seem to live through the great rise and fall of a lifetime in mere seconds, and saw him suddenly clench his fist and slam his raised right hand hard onto the plastic track.
"System, you son of a——!"
"Hm?"
That unusual word instantly seized Su Xiao's full attention. She knit her brows, came up before Fang Tian, and asked, "Classmate Fang Tian, what do you mean by 'system'?"