novelden Chapter 2 The Unexpected Burden of Idol Image
Chapter 2 The Unexpected Burden of Idol Image
As a high school student, I always go to school, rain or shine, no matter what day it is.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, he got up with dark circles under his eyes, ate his mother's loving breakfast—a small bread, boiled eggs from the night before, and a carton of milk—and rode his little bicycle to school.
While struggling to pedal, he grumbled to himself, "I have the potential to become a world-destroying monster, and I still have to go to school? What a joke!"
That's actually kind of funny!
An existence capable of moving a planet with a pen—in a novel, it wouldn't be something to be proud of, if not something that could traverse eternity.
But reality is cruelly ridiculous.
He was still a mortal, no different from an ordinary person. In fact, because of his intense emotions or because he had exhausted too much mental energy and hadn't slept well last night, he felt even weaker than an ordinary person!
Seriously, this is a bit of a pain in the ass!
The morning sunlight streamed through the classroom windows, casting dappled shadows on the desks. The classroom was filled with chalk dust, paper, and the slightly drowsy atmosphere of the students. The English teacher was explaining complex grammar at the podium, her voice as steady as a calm river.
Hu Biao sat by the window, his fingers unconsciously twirling the pen, his gaze trying to focus on the textbook, but the letters seemed to float on the water, unable to sink into his mind.
Last night's experience told him that I am no longer the same person; I am no longer mortal. I hold the lives and deaths of countless people on Earth in my hands...
The reality is, why can't I memorize this word?
"Hu Biao!"
A slightly disgruntled voice broke his reverie.
He jolted awake, looked up, and found his English teacher frowning at him, while the eyes of the entire class were also glancing over at him, intentionally or unintentionally.
"Answer this question." The teacher tapped the blackboard with chalk.
Hu Biao stood up instinctively, but his mind went blank.
Problem? What problem? He was completely absorbed in his interstellar travels and didn't hear a thing.
His deskmate whispered a word to him, and he quickly repeated it, his pronunciation dry and hoarse.
The teacher glanced at him twice, but didn't pursue the matter further. She simply said, "Pay attention in class, and don't let your mind wander first thing in the morning."
Hu Biao nodded and sat down somewhat guiltily, but then he thought, what do I have to be guilty of?
The reason you are still alive and sitting here giving and listening to lectures is because of my great mercy last night, isn't it?
If I had just impulsively touched something back then...
Hmph, a bunch of ants!
Thinking this way, he suddenly felt different.
The morning exercise break was another kind of torture.
Standing on the crowded playground, doing stretching exercises to the monotonous rhythm of the broadcast, he felt as if he had split into two people.
One is Hu Biao, an ordinary high school student, whose movements of raising and lowering his arms are somewhat perfunctory; the other is that unknown being who sits high in the universe, overlooking the Milky Way and in charge of celestial bodies.
There's no way around it; this ability is too special, too miraculous, and as an eighteen-year-old boy who has just acquired it, he's bound to be captivated by it...
But he dared not.
He needs to exercise restraint because his mental strength is limited!
Last night, he confirmed two things. First, he had indeed awakened an extraordinary ability. Second, the activation of this ability might be related to mental strength, which explained why he felt completely drained today…
Yeah, I played until midnight yesterday!
"Mental strength? Isn't this something that only exists in novels? How am I supposed to improve it? Meditation? Or... why don't you just give me a data-driven cheat code...?"
The morning passed by in a daze. However, as a high school senior who had received modern education as a Gen Z, had been surfing the internet for more than ten years, and was at the peak of his knowledge, he quickly accepted reality and began to think about what kind of changes his "superpower" could bring to him.
There's no way I'd tell anyone, I'd rather die than tell anyone.
Has it changed?
Does spying count?
Although I don't want to admit it, the reality is that this ability, when presented to us, has the most direct and obvious use: stealing. And that word "steal" can be followed by many other words.
but……
He pursed his lips. "The education I received growing up doesn't allow me to do such a thing. Oh, right, I have an English exam this afternoon..."
Finally, he thought of something crucial. Instinctively, he blinked, and the scene of the school's English teaching and research office appeared before him. On an empty table were prepared, unopened test papers.
He discovered this after fiddling around all night.
Wherever one's eyes fall, one can bring it to sight with a mere thought.
"As a high school graduate born and raised under the red flag, am I being a little too flexible in my moral standards?"
He pretended to struggle internally for a moment, then zoomed in on the "camera" and saw the contents of the first page. It was a lot of information and quite annoying. Just as he was about to look for the standard answer, a thought suddenly popped into his head.
"No way, I'm going to become a respected figure in the future. If this gets out, it will definitely become a dark chapter in my history. It's too embarrassing..."
What?! You've got an idol image to maintain?!
When this idea came to him, even he was speechless.
"Tch, it's just a monthly exam, does it really require using such a prestigious ability? How beneath us!"
Thinking this, he blinked, and the scene before him vanished...
The monthly exam in the afternoon was naturally a complete mess.
He put down his pen, then felt a pang of regret...
"Damn, the Nine-Story Demon Tower updated last night, did you watch it?"
"What are you looking at? It's the monthly exam today. I spent half the night memorizing vocabulary yesterday."
"No way, this show is pretty good, it's one of the better ones in the tomb raiding series..."
…………
……
"Tomb raiding, the Nine-Story Demon Tower, no, tomb raiding..."
What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Hu Biao, who was feeling regretful, suddenly had a bright idea in his mind.
Tomb raiding?
This ability to conjure the entire universe, down to the smallest detail, with a mere thought, and to influence reality...
Isn't this ability the innate tomb raiding physique?
Do not……
Grave robbing is shameful!
The burden of maintaining an idol image has become heavy again...
"However, tomb raiding is shameful, but I can at least take a look, and besides..."
His thoughts naturally followed this line of thought. This world is full of treasures, whether they are underground or in the ocean. There are countless treasures, and it would be extremely difficult for ordinary people to obtain them. But what about him?
Whether underground or underwater, it's just a matter of moving a finger for him. Although it consumes some mental energy, he has determined that only when the scope of his manipulation is extended to the cosmic dimension, like yesterday, and he makes some movements similar to prying stars, will his mental energy be consumed rapidly and he feel dizzy. Now, manipulating things on a small asteroid like Earth consumes almost no energy at all.
He blinked, and the blue star appeared before his eyes. He gently fiddled with it, his fingers under the desk, and the image magnified. Then, he paused, blinked again, and the image disappeared. He pulled his hand out from under the desk.
Damn it, where is Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum again?
Where's the map?
No, where's my phone?
Oh, the school doesn't allow cell phones!
P.S.: It's not that the main character is burdened by idol image; it's that the author realized from the benevolent gaze of the harmonious mythical beast that whatever you write must convey positive energy!! If you dare to cheat, the mythical beast will dare to ban you!!!