NOVEL WEB Chapter 17: The First Words
Kent glanced at her and humbly said, "Actually, it's just level 20 in the Gold tier."
"Gold? Level 20?" Zhao Mengxi exclaimed in surprise. "What do you mean just? You have to know that, apart from my own beast, there's no other Gold-tier beast in Saint Stone High, and there aren't many beasts above level 20 either."
"I'm aware of what you're saying," Kent replied with a calm smile. "For a man who dreams of becoming strong, level 20 in the Gold tier is just the beginning."
"Heh, you're not humble at all," Zhao Mengxi smiled charmingly. "Also, you're not even a man yet, although you look like one, you're still not an adult."
"Well, you can't judge whether someone's a man by just their biological age. Maturity is what truly matters," Kent retorted.
"But I don't think you're mature at all," Zhao Mengxi remarked.
"Wow... look, the school beauty is talking to someone!"
Suddenly, someone noticed the conversation and gasped in surprise.
All the students in the square turned their attention to them, and even the ongoing battle on the arena was forgotten.
"Kent? It's Kent?!"
Soon, someone recognized him, but there were still many who didn't know who he was, asking, "Who is Kent?"
"Don't you know Kent? He's the one who defeated over a dozen beasts in a street fight today. He even wrote a love letter to Zhao Mengxi, but Zhao Xuan found it, so now Kent and Zhao Xuan are enemies," someone explained.
The crowd rushed over, surrounding them and discussing loudly, showing no regard for privacy.
"You really wrote me a love letter?" Zhao Mengxi, hearing the gossip, blushed slightly.
"Yes, it was me," Kent admitted openly. Zhao Mengxi was indeed very beautiful, any man would want to marry her.
"Then why didn't I receive it?" Zhao Mengxi pretended to be puzzled. The rumor was already widespread, and she couldn't possibly not know.
"It got intercepted," Kent said, somewhat confused. Zhao Mengxi didn't seem as unapproachable as he had thought, and perhaps she had some quirky tastes?
"Who intercepted it? Was it Zhao Xuan?" Zhao Mengxi shook her head, disappointed. "I knew it. You're really not a man. A real man would do what he says, but you couldn't even deliver a love letter. That shows you're not up to the task."
This bizarre conversation left not just the onlookers stunned, but Kent too, unsure of what was happening. Was she encouraging him to pursue her?
That didn't make sense; this was their first conversation.
Kent stayed calm and replied seriously, "Actually, it's fine that I didn't send it. If I had, you might have become my girlfriend, and I wouldn't be able to support you."
"Support?"
The unfamiliar phrase, especially in such a strange context, caused a stir among the crowd.
"Did I hear that right? Kent didn't send the love letter because he can't afford to support Zhao Mengxi, not because Zhao Xuan ruined it and embarrassed him?"
"Haha, Kent sure is bold. It's one thing to like her—who wouldn't? But Zhao Mengxi is the daughter of General Zhao. Her father is one of the most influential people in Micro-Light City. How dare Kent talk about supporting her? That's just daydreaming."
"Wow, Kent is really impressive. If he were a bit better, I'd want to be his girlfriend right now."
The male students mocked him, but the female students started to admire him. After all, the most touching words are often "I adore you" and "I'll support you."
Zhao Mengxi, feeling a bit embarrassed, realized her attempt to tease Kent had backfired.
"Okay, you sure know how to talk," she finally replied.
Should she continue with the topic of supporting her? Saying she could be supported would imply Kent was pursuing her. Refusing, though, would sound materialistic and hurtful.
"Not bad," Kent smiled and decisively walked away.
The students around them were stunned. Kent had left without any hesitation, not showing a bit of gentlemanly manners.
This felt like a guy hanging up on a girl first in a phone conversation—unbelievable!
Zhao Mengxi stood there, dazed. She had never met a guy like this before, one who didn't seem to care about showing any gentlemanly courtesy.
Kent wasn't a gentleman; he considered himself just a loser, a total grassroots kind of guy. He didn't care about those things.
In the distance, Zhao Xuan watched this scene with a darkened face, his brows twisted in anger.
"Damn it, wasn't he supposed to be detained for thirteen days? Why is he out already? That idiot Zhao Lin, he's completely useless."
Zhao Lin was his cousin, but Zhao Xuan had never taken him seriously. To him, Zhao Lin was just a pet dog.
Ding!
A ringtone sounded.
Zhao Lin pulled out his phone and answered, only to hear his father's furious voice on the other end. His face darkened immediately.
"You idiot, do you have any idea what you've done? The kid you harassed has a Four-Star Inspector behind him."
"A Four-Star Inspector?" Zhao Xuan's eyes widened in disbelief. "How is that possible? He's just an orphan with no family, how could he have someone like that backing him?"
"Do you think your old man would lie to you? Now Zhao Bureau has issued a warning. The kid was detained for eight hours, and now you and your group of idiots will be detained for twenty-four hours. Go to the police station right now, understand?"
It had originally been sixteen hours, but Zhao Xiongwei had doubled the sentence to please Li Wanfeng.
The call ended, and Zhao Xuan stood there, stunned. He then slammed his phone onto the ground and yelled, "Kent, we're sworn enemies now. We'll never be at peace!"
A few people nearby turned to look at him, and when they pieced the events together, they assumed that Zhao Xuan was angry and swearing vengeance over Kent and Zhao Mengxi.
Kent, already some distance away, heard the outburst and smirked. This guy really had a lot of grudges.
He stuck his tongue out and chuckled coldly. "Let's see who's afraid."
Life went back to normal.
Kent borrowed several books from the library, all about the world before and after the Cataclysm. He flipped through them during class, quickly gaining knowledge and a clearer understanding of the world.
He learned about the first thirty years before the Cataclysm and the decades that followed.
The most useful book he found was The Complete Guide to Monsters, which vividly illustrated various famous monsters, both animals and plants, and even some invisible microorganisms with deadly properties.
Kent was amazed by the dangerous changes to microorganisms, some of which had mutated into deadly parasites. Once these parasites attached to a human, they could destroy the internal organs and absorb them for nourishment within half an hour.