Ren Yi stood by the sink, washing dishes while grumbling silently to himself.
He realized that ever since his recent upgrade and the complete stabilization of his Anomaly form, his older brother’s "abnormal behavior" at home was becoming increasingly blatant.
Before, Ren Man would at least pretend to be an ordinary young man—restraining his aura, keeping his shadow in check, and not revealing his true form easily.
Now, he had completely dropped the act. At the slightest disagreement, he’d release his shadow to threaten Ren Yi, and he would manifest his true form without the slightest hesitation or politeness.
Whatever, Ren Yi sighed helplessly. It was better to get used to this sooner rather than later.
...
Over the next few days, Ren Yi experienced what could be called the second-best period of his university life.
The reason for this bliss was simple: although he was technically at school and held the title of a university student, he didn't have to attend a single class, rush any assignments, or worry about attendance.
He spent his days wandering freely through the campus, soaking up the sun, and teasing Lord Cha. Life was leisurely and carefree.
As for why it was only the second-best—
It was because the Sword of Damocles known as the Promotion Exam was still hanging over his head. An Instance with a fifty percent mortality rate could open at any moment.
A string in his heart remained taut; he couldn't fully relax.
By the way, what was the absolute best period?
That would be the "rotting" life of a student who has no classes, no exams, has passed their thesis, has a confirmed post-graduation path, and is just lying around waiting for graduation. That is the undisputed peak of bliss.
For those who haven't experienced such days yet, you really ought to cherish them when they come.
Under Lord Cha's guidance, the application for the Promotion Exam had long since been submitted through the official Anomaly Web channel.
The review process had been a breeze, turning green all the way through. It had been approved long ago, and now he only had to wait until he was ready to trigger the Instance at any time.
As for why he hadn't entered the exam Instance immediately after approval, the reason was simple.
His equipment wasn't fully ready yet, and he hadn't gathered all his trump cards.
He was still missing one of the most important items.
The custom Anomaly Artifact he had commissioned from his exclusive contractor and class monitor, Zhang Qiuqiu, had not yet been delivered.
This matter had been dragging on ever since he reached an agreement with Zhang Qiuqiu back in the Three Cities World.
In the middle of it all, he had unexpectedly run into Battle-Damaged Guy at the casino and fought tooth and nail to obtain the soul crystal.
After countless delays and waiting for so long, it was finally time for the conclusion.
During his daily strolls, Ren Yi couldn't help but wonder.
What kind of ability would his Anomaly Artifact ultimately have?
He wasn't asking for any surprises or some heaven-defying unique ability; as long as it was identical to Battle-Damaged Guy's ability, that would be enough.
That was Time Stop, after all.
Time Stop was a definitive god-tier skill.
Whether for offense, escape, counter-killing, or setting the stage, it was nearly invincible.
With that ability, his survival probability in the Promotion Exam would more than double.
As Ren Yi sat on the Wutong Tree, swinging his legs and letting his mind wander while waiting impatiently for the artifact, he suddenly felt a vibration from his connection to the Anomaly Web. A private notification popped up.
Sender: WhatAreYouLookingAt.
【Come on over, your stuff is here.】
【Come to my mom's office.】
Ren Yi's eyes lit up instantly, and he nearly jumped out of the tree.
Without a second word, he flipped down from the thick branch of the Wutong Tree and landed steadily.
He hurriedly said goodbye to Lord Cha, who was crouching in the shade, and the Wutong Tree Spirit, who was slacking off with them, before racing excitedly toward the High School Department.
Zhang Qiuqiu's mother, Ms. Zhang, had been their homeroom teacher during high school.
Her office was naturally a familiar place to Ren Yi.
Back in their school days, he and Lu Zihan had been called to that office for various reasons more times than he could count; he could find it with his eyes closed.
Just as he reached the base of the teaching building, the bell for the mid-class exercise break rang.
The silence was instantly shattered by a cacophony of noise. Groups of "children" who still maintained stable humanoid forms and were full of youthful energy rushed out of the building.
They swarmed toward the playground, noisy and bustling, their faces filled with the vibrancy of youth.
Ren Yi paused by the roadside, leaning against a wall and quietly watching the crowd run past, feeling a sense of nostalgia.
Sigh, unwittingly, he had become a "veteran" Anomaly himself.
These "children" still had no idea what they were about to face.
Looking at their bright, rowdy smiles and how they could still run their exercises without a care in the world...
Once they graduated in a while and went through the Professional Allocation Test, things would change.
First, they’d experience a few little "surprises," then they’d have to "meet their parents face-to-face." One by one, their humanoid forms would collapse at home until they started questioning their very existence. Only then would they settle down.
Mm, I definitely don't mean to gloat.
Once the crowd had completely passed and the hallway grew quiet again, Ren Yi took advantage of the emptiness to quickly head upstairs.
Ms. Zhang's office was on the second floor. He walked to the door with practiced ease and knocked three times.
Without waiting for a response, he pushed the door open and said with a smile, "Monitor, I'm here."
As he spoke, he scanned the office.
His gaze swept across the desk, and he nodded with a smile to greet the other person. "Oh, hello Ms. Zhang. You're here too."
Behind the desk, Ms. Zhang looked up and adjusted her glasses.
At the same time, Ren Yi noticed the black eye patterns on her dress begin to swim across the fabric, turning to look in his direction.
"Ren Yi is here? Come, take a seat."
She greeted him with a smile.
Meanwhile, Zhang Qiuqiu emerged from behind her and waved at Ren Yi.
Ms. Zhang invited Ren Yi to sit, and Zhang Qiuqiu leaned in as well.
"This is so formal. Ms. Zhang, you could have just had the monitor bring it to me. I feel a bit embarrassed."
"Ahem." Just then, Zhang Qiuqiu coughed twice beside him.
"Did you think my family was some kind of unscrupulous merchant? We don't just sell; we provide after-sales support too."
"After-sales support?"
Ren Yi looked up, somewhat confused.
Ms. Zhang explained from the side.
"Since this is your Anomaly Artifact, you naturally have to be the one to use it for the first time. We also need to conduct some performance tests."
"At the same time, to prevent any issues, I'll be here to keep an eye on things for you."
As she spoke, she placed a small box on the table.
Ren Yi opened it excitedly. Inside the box was a... marble?
Ren Yi picked it up and found a diamond-shaped, needle-like object inside. It spun flexibly within the marble following his movements.
It actually looked quite nice.
"Try using it. It's fine with my mom watching over you,"
Zhang Qiuqiu urged.
Ren Yi nodded and operated the object in his hand according to his intuition.
Zhang Qiuqiu and Ms. Zhang watched him with serious expressions.
The item was activated.
Zhang Qiuqiu and Ms. Zhang continued to watch him with serious expressions.
Ren Yi hesitated for a moment.
"It seems... nothing happened?"
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