Reboot Saga, Chapter 204: A Day of Striking the Protagonist

“Ahem.” The mentor seated in the middle frowned as he heard Mianhua’s voice, his usually calm expression turning immediately stern. “Mianhua, is that you? The academy’s top class-skipping champion checking in this early?”

“Wasn’t this because you missed your practical combat session?” Mianhua said with a playful smile. “Your soaring, flowery teaching is way more interesting than any other class.”

“Who is this?” Moxing asked softly.

“Yang Tianqi, one of the ten most renowned mentors in the academy,” Shiyan whispered. “Usually call him Teacher Tianqi.”

“Mianhua, third year, level forty-six.” Tianqi shook his head and sighed. “No improvement.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Those few third-year students before you didn’t even reach level forty!” Mianhua said in a lowered voice.

“My turn,” Shiyan said, handing over her student card. She rested one hand on the crystal orb. A faint glimmer flashed; the second hand swayed twice, pointed to a number, then stopped.

“Shiyan, second year, level fifty-five!” The speaker had barely finished when cheers broke out.

“Wow—second year and already fifty-five!”

“She looks pretty good too!”

“Didn’t you know she’s the vice-chair of the student council?”

“Good and beautiful both!”

Moxing was startled by the scene. The girl before him was far better than he had expected, and wildly popular.

“You should learn a lot from your cousin,” Tianqi leaned in and whispered to Mianhua.

“Y-you…”

“Next!”

Tianqi didn’t respond to Mianhua, but turned his gaze toward Moxing.

“Good afternoon, teachers,” Moxing said, suddenly realizing they were all looking at him. Anxiety shot through him at once.

“The two on either side are senior students helping out,” Mianhua quickly explained; the two seniors gave polite smiles.

“He’s a freshman. He’s a bit nervous on his first registration,” Shiyan added. “From my hometown.”

“Yes, I can tell,” Tianqi said, squinting. “Please submit your recommendation letter, young man.”

“Y-yes,” Moxing said, hurriedly opening his bag, taking out the envelope, and placing it on the table.

“It’s confirmed. The recommendation is from Scarf Town,” said the senior to Tianqi’s right.

“Then begin the test.”

Tianqi made a small beckoning gesture.

“Mm…” Moxing slowly put his hand on the crystal orb. A soft light flickered. Mianhua moved closer to look. Her expression changed suddenly. The registrar senior came over and was startled wide-eyed.

“Level zero?!”

Tianqi frowned and got up.

Shiyan looked over too, confusion clear on her face.

No one spoke.

“Does this mean I have no power level?” Moxing asked.

“Try again,” Shiyan said, patting his shoulder.

Moxing placed his hand on the orb once more. The light flared again for a moment, but the second hand didn’t move at all, as if frozen.

“Still level zero…” he sighed.

“Don’t panic. Listen: on this orb, zero and sixty overlap,” Mianhua pointed to the number. “It’s possible your power has already passed sixty, so the orb can’t display it correctly.”

“It can’t be!” Tianqi suddenly interjected.

“If power truly breaks through to sixty, that is true awakening. The crystal orb would crack from sheer overflow. I’ve seen only three students like that, and one of them is your most familiar friend, Zhang Zhihao.”

Tianqi explained, turning to Moxing. “And this student really is—”

“Zero level!”

“Z-zero level.” Moxing’s eyes looked distant, and he stood frozen, head lowered, at a loss.

Shiyan watched him, her mouth slightly open, speechless. Mianhua shook her head, unsure what to say.

Holyvoid Royal Academy—the strongest institution in Aslant—having a freshman with a zero power level. If this hit the news, it would be an absolute headline sensation.

“You don’t need to be so down,” Tianqi said awkwardly, trying to cover the silence. “At least the orb gave off a faint glow when you touched it. You still have room to improve through cultivation.”

“That’s right! At least you are an awakened talent!” Mianhua added quickly, and though she often teased Moxing, she stepped forward now to offer comfort.

“Still—”

“By academy rules, there is a freshman entry assessment next week. Only those who pass may remain and continue studying.” Tianqi moved close and patted Moxing’s shoulder. “Time is tight. You can judge this for yourself.”

Moxing thought, as he always noticed, that Tianqi’s way of speaking was unique—he encouraged and stabbed you at the same breath.

“I will.”

Moxing suddenly spoke, every word sharp and clear, each one landing like a stone.

“There’s nothing else. I’m leaving now.” He shook off Tianqi’s hand from his shoulder and ran toward the door without turning back.

“Moxing!”

Shiyan shouted, but he did not respond.

“Moxing seems off. I’ll go check on him.”

Shiyan handed her shoulder bag to Mianhua and ran for the exit as well.

“Wait—where should we put these things?” Mianhua asked, pointing to the three large suitcases nearby.

“Take the luggage back to the dorm first. I’ll come for it later,” she called, and vanished at the door.

“Thanks for your help,” Tianqi said as he passed by Mianhua with a smile. Mianhua made a face in return.

At sunset.

Moxing lay flat on a grassy slope, eyes tightly closed, feeling that in any world—past or present—he had always been useless, powerless to change anything. Tears came on their own.

“Actually, your potential has only not yet awakened.”

Moxing opened his eyes at once. A white dress fluttered in the breeze, brushing lightly across his face. Looking up, he saw Shiyan standing beside him. Startled, he rolled over and, with one arm, rubbed away his shameful tears.

“Sorry... I’m sorry for disturbing you,” Shiyan said when she noticed his movement. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“No... no, it’s nothing!” He stood from the lawn after wiping his eyes. “I was only turning over.”

Moxing and Shiyan locked eyes for two quiet seconds.

“You…”

When Shiyan spoke, Moxing realized his own eyes had probably been swollen from crying.

“I didn’t cry!” he said quickly. “A real man doesn’t cry over this sort of thing.”

“Well... I actually wanted to tell you something.” She pointed with her finger. “You know how to choose a place really well.”

He followed her gesture. A splendid evening scene opened before him:

The crimson afterglow of sunset streamed through the academy’s tall buildings, turning countless strands of light into woven silk and draping the lawn in an orange bridal glow. Beneath that red wash, a flock of weary homebound doves drifted across the sky and disappeared, leaving only scattered birdcalls behind.

“It’s... so beautiful.”

He stared at the embroidered sky of dusk, utterly still, unable to find words.

He had intended to recite a poem, but all his thoughts were of lines like, “The sunset is wondrous beyond all, yet dusk draws near,” which simply did not fit this mood at all.

“Still,” Shiyan nodded, “watching the evening sky is such a pleasure.”

A light breeze drifted over, lifting the boy’s and the girl’s hair as they watched the sun slip behind the tall buildings. It was a wonderfully comfortable moment.

“Let’s sit and talk,” Shiyan said, brushing the grass beneath her feet before lowering herself to the ground.

“Uh... all right,” Moxing sat down beside her.

“Talk about whatever is on your mind,” Shiyan said seriously. “It’s just the two of us.”

“Oh...” Moxing blushed again.

“Tell me what you’re carrying,” she said, turning toward him. “Speak it out, and you’ll feel much lighter.”

“Then... all right,” he paused and continued, “why do you think I still have hope?”

“Because I could hear unbending faith in your words earlier—your ‘I will,’” Shiyan smiled. “Deep down, you still believe you can do this.”

“Even so, I haven’t made any progress,” Moxing sighed. “I wish I could just shout a few hot-blooded lines like a novel’s hero and burst into a reversal.”

“You are the hero,” Shiyan called out.

“Huh?”

“You are the hero of your own life!” Shiyan leaned closer, speaking with excitement. “Whether or not you were born with talent, you must keep a steady mind. Learn to seize every opportunity, keep improving yourself, make more friends, and make the right choices at life’s crossroads. Only then can you complete the most brilliant turnaround in the script of your life.”

The last light of sunset lit both their faces, and Shiyan’s eyes glimmered with a tear. It was the first time Moxing had seen a girl become this moved by speaking, the first time a girl had cried because of him. The ache in his chest was indescribable—hurt, yes, perhaps heartache.

He reached out to wipe her tears, but she blocked him.

“I feel a little unwell. I’ll go back to the dorm first,” Shiyan said, her voice choked. “The male dorm is in Reign Residence; follow the signposts to find it. If I remember correctly, your room number should be 198.”

She stood up from the grass, walked two steps, then stopped and left him with one final line:

“There’s always someone who needs to rise up and break through. Why couldn’t it be you?”

Time seemed to freeze. The words echoed in Moxing’s head. He stared blankly at Shiyan walking away, then suddenly smiled and shouted after her:

“I will!”

She paused in the distance, then continued on.

“I will. I will do it!”

Shiyan did not turn.

“I will! I will make the comeback!”

She kept walking and vanished from sight.

Moxing shouted again and again, forcing out the words from deep inside his chest. It was a release, as if pressure were draining away from him. He felt lighter, freer. Night settled slowly. He lifted his head and looked at the sky; the stars had begun to appear.

One day, he thought, I will become one of those stars—yes, one of the brightest stars.

I will do it.
I will absolutely do it!

================ Author’s Note ================
I’m back! I’ve been away so long, and after waiting this long I still had no ideas for new content, so I decided to revise from the beginning and search for inspiration (mostly because I had training classes over the summer and no time to write). I restored the parts I hadn’t added before, added many details, and refined the entire story. There may be some repetition, and I hope you will all be understanding and supportive.