Cataclysm Hunter: I Have an Experience Points System - Chapter 42 - Just Kill Me!

The sun was setting, casting a warm, golden glow through the window that softly painted the small room.

At this moment, the faculty office was dimly lit and silent.

Li Jingru sat quietly in her chair, her face obscured by shadows. The screen on the wall emitted a faint glow that flickered in her eyes.

Click-

Wu Qinghua pressed the switch, and the bright fluorescent lights came on.

The darkness in the room dissipated, revealing the appearance of the F class advisor.

She had her feet up on the chair, hugging her knees, her delicate face expressionless, her eyes vacant.

The charming, graceful, youthful Li Jingru, who once seemed like a vibrant young girl, was gone.

Now, she resembled a withered plant, her once-lustrous long curls losing their shine.

Wu Qinghua sat beside her, pouring herself a cup of red tea.

She crossed her legs, not saying a word, simply observing her friend as if appreciating a piece of art.

Li Jingru lowered her eyes, her stocking-clad feet curling and uncurling against the soft cushion of the chair.

“…Who exactly is this Lin Xiao?”

Her voice was muffled, lacking the gentle sweetness it had during the day.

Wu Qinghua took a sip of tea and calmly explained:

“An ordinary student from a civilian family. He defeated Wu Zhixing, and his position as Top Student is well-deserved.”

Li Jingru pursed her lips and said wistfully, “A student from a civilian family can improve so quickly? From dead last to Top Student?”

“He wasn’t dead last to begin with…”

Wu Qinghua removed her glasses and gently wiped the lenses with a silk cloth. “When he enrolled, he was third in the Grade, and his spirit strength was far above average, only slightly behind the top two.”

“…Only slightly behind the top two?” Li Jingru frowned, dissatisfied. “You need to be clear about the difference! The gap between them and ordinary students is huge!”

“Let me put it this way…”

Wu Qinghua’s lips curled into a smile as she raised two fingers, her voice soft:

“Before their superpowers awakened, those two had spirit strength on par with Lin Xiao when he enrolled, perhaps… Lin Xiao was even slightly stronger.”

Without her glasses, Wu Qinghua’s eyes glinted with a hint of crimson.

Her unadorned, beautiful face wore a smile, dangerously alluring, like a blooming mandrake on the other side.

Li Jingru’s eyes widened slightly, and she couldn’t help but exclaim:

“Isn’t that a superpower prodigy!?”

Wu Qinghua nodded slightly, confirming her friend’s speculation.

“He’s a natural Ability User. As long as he clarifies his inner self, awakening is just a matter of time.”

“Wow~ That’s impressive…”

Li Jingru swayed back and forth, her eyes rolling around as if she had thought of something.

She put down her legs, slipped into her high heels, and sprang up lightly.

Smoothing out the creases in her clothes, tidying her slightly messy hair, she even took out a small mirror and skillfully touched up her makeup.

Watching her friend, who seemed ready for a date, Wu Qinghua put her glasses back on.

“What are you going to do?”

“Hmph~ Of course, I’m going to say hello!”

Li Jingru slung her stylish handbag over her shoulder, waved her hand cheerfully, and said, “Bye-bye, Xiao Qing! You don’t mind if I get to know your student, do you?”

“I don’t mind, but…” Wu Qinghua tapped the table and said, “First, let’s settle the winner’s reward.”

“-!!”

Li Jingru froze, like a wind-up toy lacking oil, turning around in fits and starts.

“Ahaha… Wh-what winner’s reward?”

She blinked, her voice filled with guilt.

“The loser has to agree to do something for the winner. You can’t escape it.”

Wu Qinghua rested her chin on her hand, her gaze clear as a mirror, seeing through all of Li Jingru’s little schemes.

“What do you want me to do…?”

Li Jingru gave up struggling and asked with a pout.

“Just like you said earlier, nanny, photo shoot, cat ears…”

“…Choose one?”

Wu Qinghua shook her head, stood up, and walked over to her friend.

She gently patted Li Jingru’s head, speaking slowly and deliberately:

“I want them all.”

“Eh!?”

…

At the mountaintop, the evening breeze was cool and pleasant.

In the open-air courtyard of the cafeteria, two classes were holding a post-competition banquet.

These gatherings were held every month after the competition, mainly to ease class relations and allow students to get to know each other.

The chefs set up the charcoal, skewers of mixed meat and vegetables sizzled on the grill, the aroma enticing everyone’s appetite.

Students, some freshly showered, others bandaged with ointment, gathered in small groups around the courtyard tables.

They ate grilled skewers, drank cold beverages, and enthusiastically discussed today’s matches, boasting about their feats.

“…We specifically had Fang Wen wear a mask to catch the opponent off guard! That F Class student was no match for me; I ‘oh-lahed’ him with seven or eight punches and he went down!”

“That’s right, Lin Xiaoxiao! The first point for Class C was scored by our team!”

Seeing the girls’ proud expressions, Lin Xiao wisely put down his drink and applauded.

“Cool!”

“Hmph hmph hmph~!”

Zhao Siya and Chen Feifei immediately raised their chins, noses almost pointing to the sky.

Beside them, Fang Wen looked embarrassed; such boasting was clearly not her style, making her ears turn red.

At this table, besides Lin Xiao and the four girls, there were two other girls, seemingly their teammates from earlier in the day.

All were foodies.

While Zhao Siya and Chen Feifei boasted, these two nodded in agreement while munching on skewers, their cheeks puffed up.

Actually, Lin Xiao wanted to invite his companion from today, the “most cautious Lone Wolf,” Dong Li.

But…

“…At that moment, the Top Student was like a thunderbolt! Even surrounded by enemies, he was like a tiger among sheep, knocking down one with each punch, sending them flying with each kick!”

“That heroic figure was like a war god descending! Although I was a bit far away at the time, I seemed to hear the Top Student’s roar-”

Surrounded by a large group of Class C students, Dong Li grew more excited as she spoke.

She stood on a chair, raised her juice high, and shouted like a storyteller:

“You are surrounded by me alone-!”

“Oh-!!”

Class C students cheered with clenched fists, their faces flushed, emotions high, as if they were experiencing it firsthand.

‘Just kill me now!’

Lin Xiao’s face was ashen, his toes curling in embarrassment.

The intense gazes from his classmates made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles, a fishbone stuck in his throat, a thorn in his back, unable to sit still…

He just wanted to sew that “storyteller girl’s” mouth shut!

Of course, if Class C students looked at him with admiration and respect.

Then F Class students glared with anger, hostility, and even… some resentment.

Across from Lin Xiao sat Liu Yuqian and several F Class students, bandaged, staring intently at him.

After a moment of eye contact, Lin Xiao tilted his head and raised his drink.

“Hmph!”

Liu Yuqian slammed the table, stood up, and led her classmates inside.

Soon, they reappeared, carrying nearly a hundred-liter beer keg on their shoulders, heading toward Lin Xiao.

Bang-!

When the half-person-high keg landed on the table, Lin Xiao’s expression was bewildered.

“…Huh?”