Saint Night High School, Boys' Dormitory Building, Room 302.
Ian Song sat on the edge of his bed, his eyes wide and round, staring intently at the empty air in front of him. There was a progress bar there, and right now it had reached ninety-nine percent.
"Ding, Milky Way Ring activated successfully. Entering system interface."
The progress bar vanished, and a simple black-and-white interface appeared before Ian's eyes:
Host: Ian Song
Level: 1
Physical Ability: 130 points
Mental Power: 60 points
Whoa, only 60 for Mental Power? No wonder I’m such a hopeless student!
Skill: Basic Physical Technique
Divine Ability: None
On Saturday and Sunday, Ian used his Photographic Memory special power again, memorizing all the vocabulary and grammar from two more books.
The attribute panel took up more than half the interface, while the rest showed a colorful spinning wheel with a big 'Prize' character in the center.
Suddenly, the interface vanished, and a cute, snow-white kitten popped up: "Hello, Host! I'm Meow-Meow, the ring spirit. I'm happy to serve you."
Staring at the adorable kitten, Ian was stunned for a moment before asking, "Meow-Meow, can you tell me what's going on here?"
"It's simple. You're very lucky—you've become the host of Milky Way Ring No. 1. This is a powerful auxiliary system."
Ian's eyes lit up: "Can the system help me become a top student?"
"Of course it can!"
"Can the system help me become the richest person in the world?"
Divine Ability: Photographic Memory (Elementary)
"Can the system help me win over beautiful girls?"
"Of course it can!"
"Yes! That's awesome!" Hearing Meow-Meow's answer, Ian couldn't help but dance around with excitement. In his mind, he was already fantasizing about becoming a CEO, marrying a rich and beautiful woman, and reaching the peak of his life thanks to the system.
"Host, the ring system is giving you a free lottery draw. Would you like to use it?" Meow-Meow's voice sounded again, pulling Ian back from his fantasy world.
"What's this lottery about?" Ian asked.
Meow-Meow answered seriously, "As long as you accumulate enough Fame Points, you can use the lottery. For now, you only need 20 Fame Points for one draw."
"What's a Fame Point?" Ian asked curiously.
"Fame Points are the amount of fame you have. For example, if you're really good at fighting and someone recognizes or admires you for it, you'll gain one Fame Point."
"So that's how it works." Ian suddenly understood.
"Meow-Meow, can I use the lottery now?"
"You can!"
Meow-Meow disappeared, and the screen returned to the simple black-and-white interface.
"Host, just tap the 'Prize' character in the center of the lottery wheel with your finger, and the wheel will start the draw!" Meow-Meow reminded.
"Got it." Ian reached out and tapped the 'Prize' character on the wheel. Instantly, the character vanished and a pointer appeared.
At the same time, seven differently colored squares appeared around the pointer.
Next, the pointer began spinning rapidly before stopping in front of a red square. To Ian's surprise, four golden characters appeared on the red square: 'Photographic Memory.'
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, the words 'Photographic Memory' melted into a stream of golden light and flew into Ian's forehead, but he didn't feel any different.
Then, Ian noticed a change in the Divine Ability section of the attribute panel:
Divine Ability: Photographic Memory (Elementary)
"Meow-Meow, how do I use this Photographic Memory divine ability?" Ian asked again.
"Just silently recite 'Photographic Memory' in your mind, Host!" Meow-Meow answered.
'Photographic Memory!'
Ian silently recited it in his mind, then quickly grabbed an English book and started memorizing vocabulary.
A minute later, Ian closed the English book and tried to recall the hundred-plus words he'd just memorized. To his surprise, every single word was crystal clear in his mind.
"This Photographic Memory is amazing!" Ian couldn't help but praise.
"Host, Photographic Memory is just a basic first-grade divine ability, and since it's only elementary, you can only use it for two hours a day," Meow-Meow's voice chimed in at the right moment.
"Only two hours?" Ian was a bit disappointed, but he quickly grabbed the English book again and continued memorizing vocabulary. Even with just two hours a day, if he made good use of it, he might be able to get into a top university on the college entrance exam. For the first time, he felt a surge of hope for his future.
Two hours later, Ian closed the English book again. In just two hours, he'd memorized all the vocabulary and grammar in the entire book.
He closed his eyes and recalled everything, not missing a single word.
"Heh!" Ian couldn't help but burst out laughing. "With the ring system, my comeback starts right now!"
On Saturday and Sunday, Ian used the Photographic Memory divine ability again, memorizing the vocabulary and grammar from two more books.
Monday.
Following his usual routine, Ian got up at six, ran five laps around the track, and then went to the cafeteria for breakfast.
While eating, he couldn't help but pull up the system interface. Looking at the numbers in the Physical Ability and Mental Power sections, he asked in his mind, "Meow-Meow, what do these numbers mean?"
Meow-Meow's voice rang out in his mind: "A healthy adult has 100 points in both Physical Ability and Mental Power. Physical Ability is a combined value for speed, strength, endurance, and jumping, while Mental Power covers memory, understanding, and judgment."
"Damn, my Mental Power is only 60. No wonder I'm such a lousy student!" Ian muttered, feeling a bit frustrated.
Suddenly, a thought struck him: "Meow-Meow, how can I improve my Mental Power?"
Meow-Meow replied, "There are cultivation methods for Mental Power in the ring system. You can get them through the lottery feature!"
Looking at the '9' in the Fame Points section, Ian felt a bit helpless. Wasn't this forcing him to show off? That didn't fit his low-key philosophy at all.
"It seems like besides being good at fighting, I don't have any other skills. How am I supposed to get famous?" Ian thought, feeling troubled.
After breakfast, Ian returned to the dorm, grabbed his backpack, and headed to the classroom, still thinking about how to increase his Fame Points.
Morning self-study was English class. The teacher, Hannah Han, was a top student who had returned from overseas. She was only twenty-five, not only beautiful but also very patient with her students—even struggling ones like Ian—and was popular with everyone. Of course, quite a few boys saw her as their dream girl.
(This chapter isn't finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting story!)
As soon as he sat down, his deskmate Leo Li shoved his chubby face over and whispered, "Ian, Genesis Dominion is starting its open beta tonight at eight. Want to play together after school?"
Genesis Dominion was a much-hyped 3D online game, endorsed by national star Cynthia Murong, and eagerly awaited by players.
"Sure, let's play after school." As he spoke, Ian took out his English materials and started studying seriously.
Seeing Ian so focused on reading, Leo Li was surprised. Wasn't Ian usually napping at his desk?
"Ian, are you sick or something?"
"You're the one who's sick. I'm just studying!" Ian shot Leo a look, then went back to his materials.
"Tch!"
Leo Li curled his lip in disdain, but secretly thought Ian was just putting on an act. 'Let's see how long you can keep this up,' he muttered to himself.
To Leo's surprise, Ian kept studying diligently all through morning self-study, and even after class ended, he stayed at his desk, still focused on his materials.
Knowing his Mental Power was lacking, Ian decided to use the 'dumb' method—memorizing all his English textbooks and materials with Photographic Memory.
Photographic Memory refreshed every night at midnight, and once activated, lasted two hours without pause. That was why Ian didn't want to waste a single minute of its precious time.
For the first period, English teacher Hannah Han walked in carrying a stack of test papers.
"Class, this test paper is modeled closely on last year's college entrance exam. I hope you'll all take it seriously!"
Since starting senior year, they've had small tests every day and big tests every three days. Everyone was used to it, so this English quiz wasn't a big surprise.
When Ian heard this, his eyes lit up with anticipation. After memorizing so many words and grammar rules, he wondered just how much his English score would improve this time.