Chapter 2: Occupation [Student]

Chapter 2: Occupation [Student]

Route Yuan's father, known as Lu Xinghua, runs a small store. The store sells grains and oil, along with cigarettes, snacks, beverages, and daily necessities. It's challenging for Route Yuan to accurately summarize the nature of his family's shop.

As Route Yuan approaches the small store, he sees his mother, Zheng Qiuling, sitting in front of the TV with a fan, enjoying the breeze. Glancing at the TV screen, he notices an older family ethics drama playing.

"Mom," he calls out, then proceeds to take a bottle of drink from the vertical refrigerator near the entrance, opting for the cheapest one.

"I'm back," he says.

His mother, upon seeing Route Yuan, smiles and is about to talk to him when a customer arrives to buy cigarettes. Hastily, she says, "The lunch upstairs is ready for you. Go up and eat."

"Got it," Route Yuan replies, entering the store. He navigates through stacks of rice, neatly arranged buckets of cooking oil, shelves of snacks, and condiment bottles before exiting through the back door.

There's a staircase leading upward, with a hallway next to it containing several bicycles and electric bikes. At the end of the hallway is a small courtyard.

The building is quite old, with rust-covered railings on the staircase and spider webs in the corners. It has a total of five floors. The first floor is rented, while Route Yuan's family owns the second-floor apartment.

Route Yuan ascends the stairs, reaches his front door, and unlocks it. The not-so-spacious entrance leads directly to the living room, followed by a dining room with outdated decor.

Despite it being lunchtime, the house is quiet, and there's no one around. Route Yuan changes his shoes in silence upon entering.

After washing his hands, he sits at the dining table. On the table are simple dishes: stir-fried bitter melon, braised pork, smashed cucumber, and a bowl of winter melon and pork rib soup.

Route Yuan serves himself some rice and quietly starts eating. He has grown accustomed to having meals alone during this period. His mother, Zheng Qiuling, spends almost the entire day in the store, from 7 in the morning when it opens until 9 at night when it closes.

Route Yuan's father, Lu Xinghua, has been taking care of his grandfather in the hospital. The lunch is likely prepared by him, and Route Yuan can sense the taste.

As for his sister, Lu Jing, she is studying archaeology at university. A few days ago, she went on a mission with an archaeological team and has not returned yet.

A video call from her revealed she was in a place called Xisu, surrounded by deserts and wastelands. Route Yuan checked the map online and found that Xisu is over three thousand kilometers away from Jiaoyan City, almost reaching the border of Xia Country—an exceptionally long distance.

Route Yuan finishes his meal quickly. He eats a substantial portion of the bitter melon and braised pork but leaves the pork rib soup for his mother. He then sits on the sofa and watches TV for a while, flipping channels with the remote control. While his eyes are fixed on the TV screen, his mind is contemplating about joining a martial arts class.

Not that he has given up on the martial arts class, but Route Yuan is considering not telling his parents for now. He plans to postpone joining any extracurricular classes until the current family situation settles down.

After deciding, he says to himself, "I'll talk to Dad about it when I visit the hospital this afternoon."

With this resolution, Route Yuan turns off the TV, goes to the kitchen to wash the dishes piled up in the sink, and then proceeds to his room.

Closing the blinds, turning on the air conditioner, he sits at his desk. Route Yuan checks the time on his phone—it's 12:05 PM.

"Finish the battle before 3 o'clock!" he reminds himself.

Setting a timer for two and a half hours, he takes a deep breath, focusing on the stack of papers and assignments in front of him. His eyes become calm and sharp, like a seasoned warrior preparing for battle.

"Activate—Absolute Focus!"

Route Yuan silently utters in his mind. Instantly, all the surrounding noises fade away. The honking of cars on the street, loud conversations downstairs, and the humming of the air conditioner—all vanish.

It's as if Route Yuan has entered a solitary space, with only the pile of books and papers in front of him.

"Beep, beep, beep—"

The loud alarm from his phone interrupts the silence. The screen lights up, showing 2:35 PM.

Upon hearing the sound, Route Yuan, who had been diligently studying at his desk, slumps back like a deflated balloon, exhausted, and collapses onto the chair.

"Phew—"

He lets out a long exhale. Route Yuan, looking pale, struggles to raise his hand, opens the drawer in front of him, and takes out a box of golden-wrapped chocolates.

Grabbing a piece, he tosses it into his mouth. With the water prepared next to him, he swallows without chewing, repeating the process several times until he feels a surge of energy.

With newfound strength, he sits up a bit straighter, pressing his hands against his temples, massaging them slowly.

Meanwhile, unseen messages appear in front of him.

"You focused on studying for ten minutes. Professional experience +1"

"Your math skills have improved. Experience +2"

"Your physics skills have improved. Experience +4"

"You focused on studying for ten minutes. Professional experience +1"

"Nine points of experience gained in math, twelve in physics, and fifteen in professional experience in just two and a half hours. Not bad," Route Yuan says with a satisfied smile.

He then glances at a light blue virtual screen that appears before him.

Name: Route Yuan

Age: 17

Occupation: Student Lv3 (233/400)

Strength: 7

Agility: 8

Constitution: 7

Intelligence: 10

Basic skills: Language Lv3 (203/400), Mathematics Lv3 (329/400), Physics Lv3 (209/400), Chemistry Lv3 (224/400), Biology Lv3 (150/400), History Lv3 (78/400), Geography Lv3 (137/400), Information Technology Lv3 (238/400)

Core skill: Absolute Focus Lv1 (Active)

Attribute points: 0

Skill points: 0

The screen layout is simple, resembling the character interface in a certain online game. This is Route Yuan's "golden finger" or unique ability.

When he first arrived in this world, he thought it was a common assistive device in this technologically advanced era. After confirming, he realized it's his exclusive tool.

This occupational interface is designed to enhance a person's professional skills for better performance.

(End of Chapter 2)

Lu Yuan serves himself rice and eats quietly.

During this time, he has gotten used to eating alone at the table.

Zheng Qiuling, his mom, has to stay in the shop almost all day, from the shop opening at seven in the morning until closing at nine in the evening.

She uses bowls to bring her meals, and even going to the bathroom has to be done during quiet moments.

His dad, Lu Xinghua, has been taking care of his grandfather in the hospital these days.

Lunch is probably made by him, and Lu Yuan can taste it.

As for his sister, Lu Jing.

She majored in archaeology at university and recently went on a mission with an archaeological team and hasn't returned yet.

A few days ago, she video-called and said she arrived at a place called Xixu, where there are deserts and wastelands everywhere.

Lu Yuan looked it up on the map and found that Xixu is more than three thousand kilometers away from Jiaoyan City, almost reaching the border of Xia Country, quite far indeed.

Lu Yuan finishes his meal quickly.

He eats a lot of bitter melon and braised pork, leaves the rib soup untouched, and takes it downstairs for his mom.

He watches TV on the sofa for a while.

Switching channels with the remote control, his eyes on the TV screen while his mind is still thinking about the extracurricular classes.

It's not that he has given up on the martial arts class.

Lu Yuan is considering telling his parents not to enroll him in any extracurricular classes for now.

Wait until the family matters settle down, and then he can enroll in any class without delay.

And the money he saved, he plans to take it all out.

"I'll talk to Dad when I go to the hospital in the afternoon."

Lu Yuan finally decides in his heart.

Thinking about this, he quickly turns off the TV, then goes to the kitchen to wash the accumulated dishes in the sink, neatly placing them on the drying rack.

Then he goes to his room.

He pulls down the blinds, turns on the air conditioning, and sits at the desk.

Lu Yuan picks up his phone and checks the current time.

12:05 PM.

"Resolve the battle before three o'clock!"

He sets an alarm for two and a half hours, then takes a deep breath, staring at the pile of test papers and assignments in front of him. His eyes become calm and sharp, like a seasoned warrior.

"Activate—[Absolute Focus]!"

Lu Yuan silently utters in his mind.

In an instant, all the noisy sounds around him quickly fade away.

The car horns occasionally passing by on the street, the loud voices of people talking downstairs, the humming sound of the air conditioner in the room—everything disappears at this moment.

Lu Yuan seems to enter a space where only he exists, with only the pile of books and papers in front of him.

"Ding, ding, ding—"

The phone on the side emits a piercing alarm, vibrates, and the screen lights up, showing the time 2:35 PM.

Hearing this sound, Lu Yuan, who was sitting upright at the desk writing diligently, suddenly seems like an inflatable toy that has been punctured, slumping down and collapsing onto the chair.

"Phew—"

Lu Yuan takes a long breath.

His face now looks somewhat pale, and he is enveloped in a thick sense of exhaustion.

He struggles to lift his hand, opens the drawer in front of the desk, and takes out a box of golden-packaged chocolate.

Taking out a piece and throwing it into his mouth, along with the water prepared beside him, he swallows it without chewing, as if he's ingesting it whole.

He eats four or five pieces of chocolate in one breath, and Lu Yuan finally seems to recover.

With renewed strength, he sits up slightly, presses his hands against his temples, and massages them slowly.

And in front of him, a series of messages that only he can see quickly appear.

[You focused on studying for ten minutes, professional experience +1]

[Your mathematics skill has improved, experience +2]

[Your physics skill has improved, experience +4]

[You focused on studying for ten minutes, professional experience +1]

"Two and a half hours, mathematics gained 9 experience, physics gained 12 experience, chemistry—"

Lu Yuan's face shows a satisfied smile. Then his eyes flicker, and a light blue virtual screen appears in front of him.

[Name: Lu Yuan]

[Age: 17]

[Occupation: Student lv3 (233/400)]

[Strength: 7]

[Agility: 8]

[Constitution: 7]

[Intelligence: 10]

[Professional Basic Skills: Language lv3 (203/400), Mathematics lv3 (329/400), Physics lv3 (209/400), Chemistry lv3 (224/400), Biology lv3 (150/400), History lv3 (78/400), Geography lv3 (137/400), Information Technology lv3 (238/400)]

[Professional Core Skill: Absolute Focus lv1 (Active)]

[Attribute Points: 0]

[Skill Points: 0]

The entire screen has a simple style, like the character interface in a certain online game.

This is Lu Yuan's golden finger.

When he first crossed over and saw this virtual interface, he thought it was some kind of assistive brain technology that everyone in this world had.

After confirming for a while, he understood that this was something unique to him alone.

The ability of this professional interface is self-evident—to better enhance a person's professional abilities.

(End of this chapter)