Parallel World: Dungeons Galore

Chapter 11: Master of Body Language

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Gao Tianjie stood and sat to the side, along with two other girls.

Afterwards, the remaining female students lined up at the starting line. At their teacher’s signal, they broke into a sprint. Unlike the boys, they only had to run 800m–less demanding requirements, but enough to present a challenge to them.

Chen’an and the other boys cheered them on from the field.

“You can do it, Chen Shiyu!” Someone trying to suck up to the prettiest girl in class.

“Crap, they’ve just started and she’s already so behind.” The boys crushing on Chen Shiyu echoed their collective concern. Only the group of gamers in their class ignored the girls and fell into a lively discussion about video games.

Lu Gang, too, shouted out encouragement to Chen Shiyu. She had many admirers, but Chen’an wasn’t one of them; he’d long outgrown his childish infatuation with pretty faces.

“Keep it up, Jiang Min!” he called as she passed by.

Lu Gang arched a curious brow at him. “Don’t you usually cheer for Chen Shiyu? Why are you rooting for Jiang Min today?”

The two of them had had secret–and impassioned–discussions about what Chen Shiyu would look like in silken black lingerie. Why was Chen’an acting so different?

Chen’an humored him with a snort. “Dear boy, there are better things about a woman to pay attention to when she runs than her face, if you catch my meaning. Move, you’re blocking my view.” He shoved Lu Gang aside.

His cheering must have spurred Jiang Min on, because she picked up her pace. Her newfound vigor left Chen’an’s eyes glued to her body.

Why didn’t I take notice of her before? Silly me. Secretly, he gave thanks for the opportunity to savor what he had formerly been too blind to enjoy.

800m was only two laps around the track; before he knew it, Jiang Min was sprinting towards the finish line. She crossed it with Chen’an’s cheers echoing in her ears–and the full force of his gaze on her–only to lose her balance and stumble.

Instinctively, he rushed up to her, but she staggered forward more violently than he had expected, and they collided into each other. He caught a whiff of her feminine scent, then he was reeling backwards, unable to bring himself to push her away.

They crashed to the ground, his body pinned beneath hers.

[You were knocked to the ground by Average Joe Jiang Min, suffering injuries from the collision and subsequent fall. Current Lifeblood: -7]

For once, Chen’an brushed off the damage; his classmate was more important. He was trapped under her weight. Jiang Min’s cheeks were flushed, her breathing ragged–clearly winded from the run.

[You have flustered Average Joe Jiang Min, sending her into a frenzy. Her current Lifeblood: -10]

Huh? Jiang Min was exhausted from running, that was all. What did it have to do with him?

Jiang Min made an attempt to rise, but the run had drained her of energy.

[You have received continuous damage from Average Joe Jiang Min. Current Lifeblood: -1]

The last notification blinked thrice before being replaced by:

[Average Joe Jiang Min continues to be increasingly flustered by you. Her current Lifeblood: -15]

At the back of his mind, Chen’an mused that he was lucky she hadn’t fallen heavily enough to hurt him; the damage had been minimal. His arms were trapped beneath him, though, and he could neither push her away nor get up.

“Quick, help them up and check if they’re hurt!” It was Lu Gang, stirred into worry by the sight of his friend lying in a tangle of limbs.

Before Lu Gang could move, Chen’an managed to sit up, albeit with difficulty. He waved his friend off with a smile.

Jiang Min’s legs were wrapped around his waist. Their eyes met. His expression remained neutral, but her face was still red, her chest rising and falling.

[Average Joe Jiang Min has become even more worked up from your physical attack. Her heart rate has increased. Her current Lifeblood: -20]

Chen’an wondered if the system had somehow lost brain cells. He was helping her–what was this nonsense about an attack? It was a crime to spread such malicious lies!

“Are you okay, Jiang Min?”

Jiang Min nodded. She made an effort to disentangle herself, but she was still too spent from running. Seeing her struggle, Chen’an helped lift her legs, one arm wrapped around her waist to prevent her from falling.

[You have ravaged Average Joe Jiang Min’s body. Her current Lifeblood: -30]

[Congratulations on defeating Average Joe Jiang Min. You have gained 6 experience points and 12 gold coins.]

[Congratulations on your achievement: mastering body language. You used your physical skills to defeat the monster. Impressive. Keep it up.]

[Achievement points: +2]

The monster icon above Jiang Min’s head faded, leaving Chen’an speechless. He hadn’t wanted to kill her, only help her. With a curse, he wondered if he could lodge a complaint about the system and its repeated slander.

Finally able to stand, Chen’an helped Jiang Min over to the lawn. She was still breathless from the exercise. She wouldn’t look him in the eye; maybe she was guilty for bumping into him. Chen’an’s heart melted. Who knew such purehearted girls still existed?

Keeping his gaze averted, he said, “Pull up your zipper, please.”

“Huh? Oh… okay.” She quickly obeyed, a touch of pink blooming in her cheeks.

The slower girls in his class had just crossed the finish line, including Chen Shiyu. Chen’an was the only one with his eyes on Jiang Min.

“I heard our teacher say you finished in 3 minutes and 21 seconds. You beat the ideal timing by 9 seconds!”

“Really? Thank you, Chen’an!” Jiang Min flashed a smile to rival the sun itself.