Chapter 13: Synchronizing with Reality!
In a single, blinding instant, the match was over. Rovel's entire body was launched through the air, crashing hard onto the floor just outside the martial arts ring.
"Hiss..." Rovel clutched his stomach, his body curling into a tight ball like a cooked shrimp.
It hurt. Gods, it hurt so much.
A sharp, searing pain radiated from his midsection, so intense it felt as if he'd been sliced clean in half.
"Classmate Ruobai, are you alright?" Raiden Mei hurried over, her usual composure replaced by a look of genuine concern.
"I think... I might be in a bit of trouble," Rovel managed to squeeze out, his attempt at a smile looking more like a pained grimace.
"Ah... I'm so sorry. I accidentally used a little too much force," Mei said, her eyes darting away in embarrassment. She quickly ran to the side of the dojo, rummaging through her bag before pulling out a small, ornate bottle.
"Apply this to your stomach. It should make you feel much better," she said, handing the vial to Rovel.
[Obtained Item: Raiden Family Secret Potion x1]
[Raiden Family Secret Potion: Restores 20 HP every 5 seconds. Duration: 2 minutes. Usage: External application.]
Rovel uncorked the bottle and applied the cool, soothing liquid as instructed. After resting for a few minutes, the sharpest edges of the pain finally dulled, and he managed to recover his breath.
"Thank you, President."
The other Kendo Club members watched from the sidelines, a collective sense of amusement rippling through them. Not long ago, this very same newcomer had systematically dismantled them one by one under the guise of 'sparring' and 'defending the Kendo Club's glory.' Seeing him get his comeuppance now brought a certain vindictive pleasure to their hearts.
A notification shimmered into view before Rovel, instantly lifting his spirits.
[You have sparred with Raiden Mei. Basic Kendo (White) proficiency +500. As the Kendo Club's second seat, you gain an additional +250 skill proficiency!]
His eyes widened. He had spent over three hours grinding against the entire Kendo Club just to scrape together a thousand proficiency points, yet a single, decisive spar with Raiden Mei had netted him 750?
'Is this the protagonist bonus?'he thought, a wry smile touching his lips.'The sheer value of a main character is on a whole different level.'
"It looks like you're fine now," Raiden Mei said, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Rovel noticed that the trust meter floating above her head had quietly risen from 35% to 45%.
"I thought I could at least hold my own against the President for a little while," Rovel said, scratching his head sheepishly. "I didn't expect to get one-shot..."
"Hehe, don't underestimate me," Raiden Mei replied, her voice laced with a deep, unshakable pride. "I am a successor of the Hokushin Ittō-ryū. When I was twelve, I received the Menkyo license directly from the Homu Sword Saint!"
'The Homu Sword Saint, huh...' Rovel blinked. If his memory served him right, the true identity of this so-called sword saint was none other than her father, Raiden Ryoma.
"But..." Mei added, a hint of genuine appreciation in her tone, "you're also quite impressive. You actually forced me to use a Hokushin Ittō-ryū technique."
"Alright, get up once you've recovered," she said, her competitive spirit clearly sparked. "I'll give you some more pointers on your Kendo."
An hour flew by. Under Raiden Mei's expert tutelage, Rovel's proficiency skyrocketed. His Basic Kendo (White) skill had already reached the Proficient rank, sitting at 1145/10000. This growth rate was more than four times faster than training alone.
"That's all for today." Raiden Mei checked the time on her device. "Goodbye, Classmate Ruobai."
"Goodbye, President," Rovel nodded, offering a respectful bow.
The other club members stared as if they had seen a ghost. The high-and-mighty Eldest Miss of the Raiden family, the aloof and untouchable club president, was actually smiling and taking the initiative to say goodbye to a boy she had known for less than a day?
Rovel checked the time as well and decided to log off. He'd been in the game all day; it was time for a break.
The gaming pod hissed open. Rovel sat up and stretched his body, which had been immobile for hours. A series of loud pops echoed from his joints.
'Could I have osteoporosis already?' he thought with a start, though he quickly dismissed the absurd idea.
He made his way to the kitchen to prepare a meal. Picking up a cleaver, he brought it down on a rack of ribs.
Huh? Why did the knife feel so sharp? Or were these ribs just not fresh?
Rovel looked suspiciously at the ribs he had chopped through with almost no effort. He picked up a piece and sniffed it, confirming there was no odd smell before tossing them into the pan to stir-fry. His body, despite being cooped up in a gaming pod all day, felt unexpectedly light and energetic.
He casually picked up an egg and a bowl. As his hand moved to crack the egg against the rim, he applied the slightest bit of pressure—and the egg simply imploded in his grasp.
"What's going on?" Rovel stared at the mess of yolk and crushed shell dripping through his fingers. It wasn't a bad egg, so how could it have shattered so easily?
He still hadn't connected the dots. He washed his hands, took another egg, and carefully cracked it into the bowl. Then, he picked up a pair of chopsticks to beat the yolk.
The next second, the chopsticks snapped in his hand.
They were ceramic. While not indestructible, they certainly shouldn't break from the simple act of whisking an egg.
"What the hell?" Rovel finally realized something was deeply wrong.
He grabbed the heavy frying pan from the stove and tossed it in the air a few times. It felt incredibly light, almost weightless in his grip.
To verify his growing suspicion, he rushed to his room and picked up the dusty 10kg dumbbell that had been sitting in the corner for years.
'My strength... it's increased?'His mind raced.'Wait, don't tell me... it has already synchronized with my body?'
Disbelief warred with a surge of excitement. Forgetting all about his meal, he grabbed his phone and bolted out the door for a run. He pushed himself, sprinting through the familiar five-kilometer route.
Not only did his body feel no fatigue whatsoever, but when he finally stopped and checked his phone... his pace was a staggering two minutes per kilometer.
Did he just break a world record?
Rushing back home, Rovel immediately opened his computer and began searching the forums, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he typed in 'Abilities Synchronizing with Reality.'
The topic was trending, a chaotic explosion of posts from players all over the world. The forums were filled with wild speculation about what form the synchronization would take and what the trigger conditions might be. He found countless people claiming they had synced their abilities, but their credibility was laughably low. Most were likely experiencing a placebo effect, or were simply online clowns desperate for attention and traffic.
Rovel carefully analyzed what made his situation different from everyone else's.
First, there were his basic attributes. His stats now averaged around 65. If synchronization was based on a simple percentage, say 1%, then most high-level players should have already felt a noticeable change. He ruled that possibility out.
Second was his title. He had obtained a Legendary-grade title, something exceedingly rare. Rovel felt this was a very strong possibility.
Third was Elysia's Crystal Flower. In the item's description, Elysia herself had mentioned it possessed special effects. Could one of those effects be the ability to synchronize game stats with reality?
Or perhaps it was the SSS-rank Hidden Main Quest he had accepted?
Rovel analyzed the potential reasons one by one, jotting down notes. There was simply too little information to draw a firm conclusion, but he had his suspects.
Regardless of the cause, this was undeniably good news. It was concrete proof that this game could grant him the power he needed to protect Yuki.
But it wasn't enough. Not yet.
If he truly wanted to ensure Yuki's life was no longer dictated by the whims of her family, he still had a long, long way to go.
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