There were hardly any students left on the playground by now—only Edward Harris, who was gasping for breath as he ran lap after lap, about to complete his exercise goal for the day, and Lillian Cooper, who was in a corner, holding a bamboo sword high and repeatedly swinging it down in suburi practice.

The loose kendo uniform on her petite frame was almost soaked through with sweat, but an unusually determined light shone on Lillian Cooper’s round, bun-like face, clearly showing she had her own small goal.

At that moment, three figures in school uniforms suddenly walked over from the direction of the teaching building. The one in front had light blond permed hair, and his tie hung loosely at the collar of his suit, giving him a bit of a delinquent look.

“Seriously, why does that woman keep grabbing my hair? I already told her it’s naturally curly and blond.”

“Hey, hey, the homeroom teacher isn’t stupid. Last semester your hair was straight and black.”

“The worst part is us... Why do we have to come with you to call someone? And that ‘elementary school kid’—honestly, she’s still doing suburi training here even though the morning meeting started early today.”

“Heh, that elementary school kid probably hasn’t even developed a proper brain yet. If suburi could really improve you, I’d eat my phone right here.”

“Hahaha, by the way, Saki, did you really tell the instructor yesterday that you’ve mastered a [technique]?”

“For real?... Well, you’ll find out at this afternoon’s training, won’t you?”

The three of them walked along, chatting and laughing.

Suddenly, one of them pointed at the finish line of the track not far away and said in surprise, “Hey? Look, isn’t that the ‘clod’ from Hokkaido in our class? What’s he doing? Running?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the three of them looked at each other in astonishment.

The next second, they burst out laughing so hard they almost cried.

At least suburi is a basic skill of swordsmanship from the Land of Wa—even though they mocked Lillian Cooper, they wouldn’t go too far.

But running? What the hell is that?

An athlete?

Hey kid, this is an academy for espers!

At the finish line, Edward Harris was bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air. His legs ached so much it felt like they were falling apart. There was no doubt that today’s nine kilometers in an hour had once again pushed his limits.

Hearing the laughter from the edge of the field, Edward Harris didn’t rush to check his attribute panel in the [Sinister Handbook] to see what he’d gained. Instead, he recalled the words he’d just vaguely overheard, and his expression turned a little odd.

“Clod”?

Was that the nickname the original owner was called behind his back by that group?

Why does it sound... so weird?

......

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Chapter 5: Technique. Yamata-no-Orochi Water Serpent! (9K-word chapter, please vote!)

People in New Tokyo usually use two characters to describe students from remote, impoverished backwaters who look rustic and unsophisticated.

That is, “clod.”

Edward Harris had been in this world for over half a year now, always keeping a low profile and having little to do with the delinquents in the class for repeaters—“clod” was most likely a nickname the original owner had gotten before he transmigrated here, and probably only used behind his back.

After all, being low-key doesn’t mean being weak. If someone called you that to your face and it caused trouble, it’d be easy to get punished by the school.

Well... unless you’re a timid and self-conscious girl like Lillian Cooper. Even if someone occasionally called her “elementary school kid” to her face, she’d probably just blush, lower her head, and walk away.

As for this nickname used behind his back, Edward Harris didn’t have time to bother with it for now. With a thought, he entered the Sinister Handbook.

[Name: Edward Harris (Male)]

[Race: Human]

[Current Attribute Template]

[Strength: 11.3 (Very Weak)]

[Agility: 22.3 (Slightly Weak)] +0.1↑

[Constitution: 8.8 (Very Weak)] +0.1↑

[Perception: 9.7 (Very Weak)]

[Willpower: 15.9 (Very Weak)]

[Energy Particle Affinity: Water, Fire, Wind, Thunder, Light, Dark... (0)]

[Ability: Shadow Step]

[Title: Follower of Justice (Sin Value X10)]

[Status: Human Limiter (Released)]

Attribute Points: 0

Source Power Points: 0

Huh?

Both agility and constitution increased?

A hint of joy appeared on Edward Harris’s face.

Although the increase was as slight as last night, he was now at peace with himself—without small steps, you can’t reach a thousand miles. Persistence is victory.

But while that’s true, it’s already late November, and there are only 100 days left until the academic test at the end of February next year—the equivalent of the “hundred-day sprint” before the college entrance exam in his previous life.

A horse doesn’t get fat without eating grass at night, just like in reality, “hard work alone can’t make you rich.”

Hard work just keeps you from being poor. If you want to get rich, you have to seize the opportunities of the times with courage and caution at the right moment. He knew very well what his “opportunity” was.

But thinking of the risks involved, Edward Harris couldn’t help but sigh in his heart... Sigh, better focus on what he can do right now.

......

Exiting the [Sinister Handbook], time around him resumed its normal flow. The aching in Edward Harris’s calf muscles surged over his nerves in waves, and his mouth was so dry that he was salivating like crazy.

But for some reason, he’d actually come to love this almost “self-torturing” training, and even felt a bit of pleasure from it.