Parallel World: Dungeons Galore

Chapter 14: That’s How the Real Athletes Do It

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Chen’an was fuming–not just at Pan Yuguan’s arrogance, but at the biasedness of his teacher. So what if Pan Yuguan was his student? Wasn’t Lu Gang, too?

Doing nothing would have been bad enough, but he was openly siding with Pan Yuguan.

The thought of destroying his teacher seized him with a vengeance–especially when considering the prospect of the rewards he would earn from killing a Level 5 BOSS monster.

With no choice but to obey Alpha Athlete’s command, the students gradually dispersed.

Looking smug, Pan Yuguan made to leave, but Chen’an’s voice halted him in his tracks.

“You must be a sports student.”

Pan Yuguan looked over his shoulder and arched a mocking brow. “Yeah, I am. Why? Are you looking to challenge me?”

[Athlete Pan Yuguan has activated his skill: provocation. Using words and gestures to rile up his opponent, goading them into action.]

Chen’an’s anger was a haze of red, blinding him to all reason.

“Now that you mention it: let’s have a contest. Whichever sport you’re best at; it doesn’t matter. Only–if you lose, you have to apologize to my friend.”

Pan Yuguan’s mouth hung open for a second, before twisting into a sneer. “You’ve got more guts than those nerds who hang around books all day, I’ll give you that.”

Chen’an kept his expression cool. “You’re not afraid of losing, are you?”

“Not at all,” Pan Yuguan replied, grinning. “It’s a shame we can’t settle this in a real fight. Alright, I’ll humor you. Let’s have a round of sprints. And if you lose, you have to grovel to me in public.”

“Done,” Chen’an said evenly.

Their exchange was overheard by everyone in Class 37. Most of his classmates glared at Pan Yuguan, but a few eyed Chen’an with worry.

“Chen’an was too hasty. He’s fallen right into the bastard’s trap.”

“I have a bad feeling about this. He’s already accepted the challenge in front of everyone; it’s going to look real bad if he loses.”

“Why don’t we get our teacher to stop them? We’ll be doing Chen’an a favor. Hurry, before they start.”

A few of Chen’an’s classmates rushed up to their gym teacher and explained the situation to him, but he only seemed displeased that Chen’an had disobeyed him. He dismissed them, saying that it didn’t matter as long as things didn’t come to physical blows.

This spelled nothing but trouble. Unless, by some miracle, Pan Yuguan backed out, the students of Class 37 were certain that Chen’an had just signed himself up for a generous serving of humiliation. To them, sports students were as strong as beasts; untouchable, indomitable. How could Chen’an compare?

While everyone was busy fretting, Chen’an and Pan Yuguan had come to an agreement on the terms of the contest.

Pan Yuguan specialized in 100m sprints, but he was no slouch with 200m either. To ward off accusations of him having an unfair advantage, he had decided on the latter.

As for Chen’an, 100m or 200m made no difference. Once they were done, he wasted no time in adding his three potential points to his Agility, raising it from 6 to 9 points.

Instantly, his body loosened, turning relaxed and lithe. That wasn’t all. His dynamic vision–his ability to track moving objects with his eyes–had become sharper, faster. A glance at several female students jogging nearby confirmed this.

So his improved Agility extended to his nerves and reaction time, too.

Chen’an jumped experimentally, and found that a light bounce of his toes was all it took to reach a height which would have, by right, taken him twice the effort. It was as if a pair of springs had sprouted beneath his soles. Still, best to conserve his strength now. It would only make Pan Yuguan’s defeat later all the more satisfying, like a slap to the face.

His opponent was already strolling towards the starting line, blissfully unaware of Chen’an’s newly enhanced abilities, and probably laughing at Chen’an for being an idiot who didn’t know his place.

The other sports students eyed Chen’an curiously. When they caught sight of his slender legs, they shared a smile amongst themselves. Chen’an was too scrawny to wield any real explosive power; it was obvious he was far beneath Pan Yuguan, who specialized in sprints.

But if Chen’an was so eager for a serving of humble pie, he would soon have the chance to eat his fill.

“Where’d you find this novice, Yuguan?” one of his friends called out to him. “You’d better give him a 50m head start, or he won’t be able to keep up!”

“Yuguan must have goaded him into this. Isn’t that the same nerd as before? The one whom Yuguan knocked onto his ass?”

A chortle. “I wonder how long he can last without crying.”

The sports students were familiar with Pan Yuguan. Some of them were even exchanging bets on whether Chen’an would start bawling for mercy.

Pan Yuguan was waiting for him at the starting line, with Chen’an not far off. Jiang Min hurried up to him, anxious to save him from humiliating himself. “Chen’an, stop this,” she urged. “Look at his leg muscles. They don’t even look human.”

But Chen’an’s confidence didn’t waver. In this case, having muscles didn’t mean he would be faster than Chen’an. He stroked her head, smiling at her obvious concern.

“Want to help me out so I’ll win for sure?”

“Help you… out?”

“Just remember to cheer me on,” Chen’an said, and left it at that.

An audience of sports students had gathered around them, plus Class 37. Even his classmates who were resting on the sidelines were watching intently. It was a given conclusion that Chen’an would lose, but that didn’t mean they could stop themselves from playing the role of spectator. If only such excitement happened every day, there wouldn’t be a dull moment of conversation during lunch.

A sports student had volunteered to referee the match.

“Ready… get set… go!”

Pan Yuguan dashed forward like a loosed arrow, abandoning Chen’an in the blink of an eye.

“See that?” A sports student grinned and nudged his neighbor. “That’s how the real athletes do it.”

His friend nodded. “That kid’s got no chance of winning.”

“Hey, look! Pan Yuguan’s wearing spiked shoes!”