Have you ever woken up from a nightmare, only to find yourself trapped in another one?
That's exactly what Lu Sheng was experiencing now.
"Lu Sheng!"
A stern voice exploded in his ear like a thunderclap.
Lu Sheng groggily lifted his head, still dazed and confused from just waking up.
The middle-aged man at the lectern pushed up his glasses and glared at him with a look of bitter disappointment.
"There are only a little over two hundred days left until the college entrance exam, and you're still dozing off in class instead of working hard?
With grades like yours, even construction sites might not want you after graduation!
Do you even know the minimum Vitality Index required to be a cement worker on a construction site these days?
0.8! Have you reached 0.8 yet?!..."
Lu Sheng lowered his head, massaging his swollen temples while obediently listening to the homeroom teacher's scolding.
The chubby boy sitting to his left sneakily turned his head to glance at him.
"Another nightmare?"
Lu Sheng nodded but said nothing, though his eyes were full of helplessness.
He had been dreaming the same nightmare, over and over, for three days straight now.
Lu Sheng couldn't even describe what kind of dream it was—only that the scenes were tattered, desolate, and suffocating.
He stood helplessly in a wasteland, with wandering monsters all around...
It was a nightmare.
That, Lu Sheng was certain of.
Because ever since these dreams started, he had become abnormally sleepy, and his sleep quality was horrible.
Even though he slept over ten hours a day, he felt like someone who hadn't slept in days.
As a result, over the past three days, Lu Sheng's Vitality Index had dropped by a full 0.02!
0.02!
Do you know how much tonic one has to consume, how much brutal training it takes, just to make up for that?!
Lu Sheng was in a downright terrible mood.
...
After school, Lu Sheng trudged along the rtoward the school gates, looking listless with his backpack on.
Someone called his name and ran up from behind to block his path.
"Lu Sheng, go get online?"
It was the same chubby boy from class.
His name was Liu Qiming—one of Lu Sheng's few friends.
Lu Sheng shook his head at Liu Qiming's invitation.
"Not today. I'm heading home."
"Heading home this early? That's not like you. Come on, I'll cover the drinks and the net fee today."
Liu Qiming patted his chest with sincerity.
But Lu Sheng still shook his head, explaining, "Seriously, I'm skipping it today. I want to go home and catch up on some sleep."
"You've been asleep half the day already—still not enough?"
Liu Qiming made an exaggerated expression.
Lu Sheng couldn't be bothered to explain. He simply waved his hand and kept walking.
Liu Qiming looked like he wanted to persuade him further, but at that moment, a few boys came running up.
"Liu Qiming, are you coming or not?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"
Liu Qiming glanced one last time at Lu Sheng, then turned and ran off to join the others.
Lu Sheng watched Liu Qiming's figure disappear into the crowd. All around him, students in black-and-blue uniforms were bustling past in both directions.
They surged toward the school gate and quickly scattered beyond it, like a muddy river dispersing noisily into the distance.
"Sigh..."
Lu Sheng let out a quiet sigh as his thoughts began to stir.
He had nearly forgotten—he'd been living in this world for almost eighteen years now.
His memories of his previous life had grown blurry. Sometimes he even wondered if they had just been a dream.
A dream he'd had over and over again since he was a child.
Much like the one that had been haunting him lately.
"...no house, no car... single... office worker... hiking... fell off a cliff... woke up..."
Lu Sheng murmured keywords to himself, his eyes growing distant, until he whispered the final word:
"Reincarnated..."
That's right—Lu Sheng had reincarnated.
In his previous world, there was no Martial Way, no monsters crawling up from fissures in the earth.
The news didn't report beast attacks or Martial Masters dueling in the streets.
Students didn't stress over their Vitality Index, Combat Power Rating (CPR), or combat class grades—they worried about math, physics, chemistry, and endless English tests.
Sometimes Lu Sheng actually missed that world. At least it was...
Peaceful. Quiet.
...
Lu Sheng opened the door to his home.
He saw his dad, Lu Dahai, shirtless and lying over the armrest of the sofa. His mom, Zheng Yufen, was tearing open a medicated patch, trying to find the right spot on Lu Dahai's back.
Lu Sheng caught sight of his dad's back, covered in makeshift patches, and his eyes stung for a moment. He called out, "I'm home."
"Hungry? Want an apple? I'll start cooking in a minute,"
Zheng Yufen said while pressing the patch down onto Lu Dahai's back.
Lu Sheng shook his head and dragged his backpack toward his room.
Halfway there, he paused and turned his head toward the sofa. He said quietly, "Maybe we should buy a Blood Stimulator. It helps boost Vitality, soothes muscles, and works wonders for healing. One of my classmates has one at home..."
"Bah, this is nothing. I'll be fine in a few days. That money's better spent on tonics for you two..."
Lu Dahai quickly shut down the suggestion, then tried to twist around to look at Lu Sheng.
"How's your Vitality Index lately? Did you break 0.85 yet? I saw on the news today that the baseline for the college exam's been raised by another 0.01..."
"I know, I know! I'll go work out now..."
The moment Lu Sheng heard that, a jolt of guilt hit him, and he bolted for his room like he was fleeing.
He was feeling extremely guilty.
If Lu Dahai found out that his Vitality Index hadn't improved but had actually dropped, he'd probably leap off that sofa, grab a shoe, and give him a proper beating.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]