In the morning, only Feng Mu and his mother Wang Xiuli were having breakfast.
It was only then that he learned that the Patrol Office took on a big case last night, and Feng Ju didn't return all night, while Feng Yuhuai, due to her outstanding Root Bone, had been promoted to a residential student yesterday.
Being a residential student is a privilege for top students, meaning they receive special attention from the school, can access the Martial Arts Dojo 24 hours a day, and continue taking lessons with teachers after school...
No inappropriate meanings, don't get any wrong ideas.
Wang Xiuli was a person with a regular routine, she went to bed early last night, so she wasn't aware of how late her son had returned.
"Your sister has good Root Bone, she will have a promising future and can help you as well."
Looking at her wooden, silent son eating his meal slowly, Wang Xiuli softly comforted him.
Feng Mu swallowed his last bite of food, made a sound of acknowledgment, picked up his backpack, and prepared to leave.
Wang Xiuli handed over a Neutralizing Agent with a bit of guilt and said, "Remember to take it, and don't blame your father for being biased, he's doing it for the sake of the family."
The Neutralizing Agent looks like spicy strips but tastes like plastic, and it's used to suppress or eliminate nuclear radiation factors in the body. Ordinary people need to take one a month to prevent mutations.
"Yeah, I know, it's just that I'm reluctant to leave, wanting to linger at school for a few more days. I didn't think about retaking the citizen test, after all, I couldn't pass it anyway. Next week, I'll proceed with the dropout procedures and later find a job to support the household."
This was absolute the longest sentence Feng Mu had said to his family in the three years since he crossed over.
He wasn't lying because there truly was something at school that he temporarily couldn't let go of.
Wang Xiuli forced a smile and guiltily gave her son some pocket money.
Feng Mu didn't refuse, pocketed it, and left the house.
Leaving the community, he went straight to the hardware store, weighed out a pound of Iron Beads without saying a word, and didn't bother putting them into his backpack, just stuffed them into his pant pockets.
Whenever there was nothing to do, he'd sneak a couple into his mouth and swallow them whole like Sugar Beans without chewing.
By the time he reached school, half his pocket was empty.
"My stomach feels a bit bloated and painful, I can't eat anymore. Is it because of breakfast? Why do I feel so stuffed?"
Feng Mu frowned and rubbed his stomach, a sudden popup appeared before his eyes.
[Iron Eater: Tier 1]
[Edible Iron Types: 1]
[Metal Traits Absorbable: 1]
[Currently Detected Edible Iron Type—Ordinary Pig Iron, Edibility 0.5%.]
[Traits Absorbed: ??]
...
Feng Mu was taken aback.
"Eating iron makes you stronger, so Edibility indicates the progress of becoming stronger by consuming iron. It's straightforward and clear, conforming to game mechanics."
"Not only can I become stronger, but I can also absorb metal traits, which feels quite impressive."
"If there's a Tier 1, does that mean there are Tier 2, or even Tier 3 and Tier 4?"
Feng Mu's heart ignited with excitement, the only confusion was that he didn't remember the skills in the game having level upgrades.
After all, the game mainly focused on faction management development. It's understandable if the character battle and skill system were relatively weak.
[Hint: The game has been loaded into reality, and to better adapt to the new version, it has undergone a comprehensive upgrade patch. Please explore on your own, and don't be overly surprised.]
Feng Mu understood.
So, what can I say?
Already at silver rarity, yet it can still be upgraded, this skill patch has got a bit of hustle going on, but I like it.
"If [Iron Eater] can continue to be upgraded, what about the other two gold skills?"
Feng Mu thought they probably couldn't, as they were already gold, maxed out. Upgrading further would be overpowered, but who knows, he needed to find an opportunity to verify.
Amid various calculations in his mind, Feng Mu found himself standing at the classroom door.
A third of the classroom was empty, and the students inside all turned to look, as if no one expected Feng Mu to attend class today.
"Didn't all those who stayed in class yesterday drop out?"
"Yes, so why is he here again?"
"He's not planning to take the citizen exam, is he?"
"Impossible, with his grades, even if he participates, he can't get through. He's like those who dropped out yesterday; since his family doesn't have money, how could they afford to waste money on that?"
"Then why did he come?"
"Who knows, maybe he's unwilling to give up and shamelessly asks for a chance. Perhaps he wants to borrow money from teachers and classmates to buy a qualification certificate?"
"Is he crazy? I certainly won't lend him money; lending money is like kissing it goodbye, you can't expect to get it back."
"I might not be short of that money, but since we're classmates, if I know for sure he won't make it and still lend him money, giving him doomed hope seems more cruel, and I can't bear that."
"Tsk tsk, you're so kind, class president..."
The classroom was full of whispers, and the way the students looked over was as condescending as ever.
Had it been yesterday, Feng Mu would have felt stifling oppression, but a day later, hearing such trash talk again, it no longer affected him.
"They're just walking blood bags, no need for me to get angry."
Feng Mu ignored them, walked into the classroom, and sat back in his seat.
The surrounding classmates, seeing him approach, seemed genuinely afraid of being pestered for money, hurriedly averted their eyes.
Feng Mu curled his lips, realizing his mental shift.
"Because I have hope, I now have confidence, but because of that, I must keep a low profile and not get arrogant!!!"
In his heart, Feng Mu silently warned himself. His reason for attending class first instead of sneaking into the storeroom was out of this consideration.
"Since I'm at school, I should continue to play the role of a good student. At least, my behavioral patterns shouldn't differ too much from before, to avoid attracting attention."
Feng Mu wasn't guarding against classmates, he was simply preparing for unforeseen circumstances. After all, two students had died in the storeroom, and it was only a matter of time before the Patrol Office would investigate the school.
Assuming that the last time the two deceased contacted their families was in the morning before heading to school,
and if their parents were vigilant, it's possible that the Patrol Office might already have received missing person's reports by now~
Feng Mu listened to the class absent-mindedly, his thoughts already drifting to the storeroom.
The cultural class ended, with two more martial arts classes in the morning.
Feng Mu walked through the corridor, glancing a few times towards the playground, not seeing the blue and white car of the Patrol Office, his sense of urgency slightly eased.
Upon reaching the Martial Arts Dojo, the air temperature drastically increased. Amidst the sweat and hormone-filled scent, students donning martial arts uniforms seemed to transform into upright walking beasts, wildly waving their muscles and pounding various instruments, with real-time performance data being recorded.
Fist Power 2.9 tiers.
Attack Speed 2.6 frequency.
Technique 1.4 segments.
Feng Mu instinctively glanced at the instrument at the center of the ground, his eyelid twitched hard.
The figure beside the instrument, muscles knotted all over, even through the sweat-soaked clothing, the flesh tendons wriggled like thick earthworms.
"Zhao Chong, ranked second in the recent third-year martial arts simulation trial."
Watching Zhao Chong, surrounded and praised by his classmates like the moon surrounded by stars, Feng Mu withdrew his gaze and walked towards the corner.
Each martial arts apparatus served a different purpose, the commonality being that several students surrounded each piece. Feng Mu didn't bother to join the crowd.
In the past, it was due to inferiority or the inability to contend;
Today, he simply couldn't be bothered to move; the strong sense of indigestion in his stomach made him fear that even a slight strenuous activity might cause him to vomit.
Vomiting wasn't terrifying, but vomiting a heap of Iron Beads was a scene too beautiful to imagine.
"Without the power of a sacrificial ritual, digesting these is really laborious, feels like I've barely digested 1/10, stomach still heavy and unbearable."
Feng Mu slightly furrowed his brow, making mental calculations.
"At this rate, I probably need another 10 hours to fully digest and proceed with the next iron-eating."
"A single satiety provides 0.5% Edibility, approximating two times a day, meaning a total 1% Edibility increase per day, so to fully accumulate to 100%, it would take 100 days?"
What would happen when Edibility is fully accumulated, the system gave no definite answer.
Feng Mu speculates two possibilities: one, he might absorb one trait of the pig iron at that time, or two, the [Iron Eater] skill might advance to Tier 2.
Regardless of which, it should result in a transformation of his strength.
"Completing transformation in 100 days is theoretically not slow, but is there any way to accelerate it?"