Study Monster Cultivation System - Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Fretting Over How to Relax
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Li Zheng, who had returned to his seat, did not revel in his pride.
He flipped open his set of English practice questions after he chatted a little with Liu Xin.
He started to work on his assignment.
He thought, “My victory is now a thing of the past. There’s still a long road ahead of me. I should not be arrogant or impatient.”
“Every inch of distance I can cover over the sea of knowledge counts.”
By this point, Li Zheng had spent a large portion of his energy.
The number display showed [21/26] (Magnified 28 times).
That meant that the 40-odd minutes he had just spent were equivalent to him studying for 21 hours.
Furthermore, he was not hallucinating. The system really existed.
Not only did the system allow him to study at 28 times his regular speed, but he could also break through the upper limit of 24 hours a day.
That was great!
Li Zheng was very excited.
He was even more excited than a player who had obtained a unit that was 28 times rarer than the others in a gacha game.
After all, no matter how fun a game was, there would come a time when a person would stop playing the game.
Meanwhile, the benefits of studying lasted a lifetime.
“At the very least, let me happily complete today’s assignments,” Li Zheng thought.
He completed the assignments in five minutes.
He wanted more.
[Energy: 23.7/26]
He was elated.
Li Zheng started to brush up on his worst subject: chemistry.
As he took out his chemistry textbook, Li Zheng’s face showed his determination to memorize its content.
Chemistry had always been Li Zheng’s weakest subject as there was a large amount of content that had to be memorized. Furthermore, the content was dry, and Li Zheng found it hard to pick out logical patterns.
This pit was deep indeed. Li Zheng was only five minutes into his textbook when his brain started to numb.
A system guide popped out then.
[Energy: 26/26.]
[You have finished using your energy for the day. You will enter an exhausted state.]
[For your first time being exhausted, the system will present you with ten Game Coins for you to engage in relaxation.]
[Please expose yourself to a few relaxing events and spend the Game Coins to enhance your relaxation experience. This will increase your relaxation efficiency.]
Following that, a display that showed [Game Coins: 10] appeared in the system interface.
However, Li Zheng was not convinced.
He thought to himself, “It has not been easy to achieve such an effective study session.
“Why do you want me to go and relax?
“Are you a demon?
“I want to study.”
He clenched his teeth and looked at the chemistry textbook.
CaCO3 + CO2 +H2O = Ca2+ … + … 3￥%… #￥…
“Pain, so painful!” he thought.
Li Zheng fiercely scratched his scalp. His thoughts were a mess.
He could not absorb anything.
He trembled as he opened his eyes a little. He tried his best to look at the second half of the equation.
“Ah…
“Pain,” Li Zheng thought.
“I can’t.”
More terrifyingly, he could no longer recall the first half of the equation he had just read.
After a moment’s struggle, Li Zheng had no choice but to close his chemistry textbook.
The headache receded slowly.
[You risk damaging your brain if you go past its limits. Please pay attention to the balance of labor and relaxation.]
[Please follow the guidance of the system and engage in relaxing activities as soon as possible.]
Li Zheng only now realized that the system was not a demon. Instead, it was his brain that was too weak. It could not tolerate such a high intensity of studying.
Just like muscles, the brain had to be trained.
It also required a certain degree of relaxation. There had to be a balance between labor and relaxation.
“I have no choice. I’ll work on chemistry tomorrow,” Li Zheng thought.
The other students were still working on their test papers when Li Zheng finished packing his bag and stood up.
However, Li Zheng had already finished his assignments.
He could sense that this was the difference in their levels.
He thought, “Lin Yujing must have felt the same way when she packed her bag in the past.”
However, Li Zheng was unlike Lin Yujing.
He was not conceited. He knew deep in his heart that he was just lucky.
He had to work doubly hard now that he had been favored by fate. Only then would he not let the heavens down.
Li Zheng picked up his bag and left the classroom after saying goodbye to Hu Chunmei.
…
The building was empty. Even the students on duty from the other classes had left.
However, some clubs still had activities. The basketball court was packed.
Li Zheng was fretting over how to relax.
He did not have much experience relaxing. In the past, aside from studying, all he had done was eat and sleep.
As well as watch the occasional cat video.
Aside from that, he truly could not come up with anything to relax with.
He did not wish to touch games as he would have to invest large amounts of energy to have a good experience and obtain victory. That would undoubtedly affect his studies.
The same logic applied to exercise.
The same logic applied to everything.
After all, time was limited, but studying was not.
Everything he did would affect his studies.
He thought, “I guess I’ll sit somewhere and allow my brain to relax.
“But, where should I sit?”
Li Zheng quickly thought of the pavilion in the school garden.
That was the most suitable spot for relaxation in the vicinity.
“Alright, I’ll go meditate at the pavilion now,” Li Zheng thought.
Li Zheng could not help but feel excited when he thought about how he could regain his energy and get back to studying as soon as possible. His footsteps got faster.
Li Zheng jogged and turned into the garden. He stepped past the gravel, peeled the green leaves back, and saw an antique-looking wooden pavilion far off.
That was once a holy land.
A holy land for couples.
There used to be at least three couples here every afternoon, or when school was over, or during the break between classes.
They would cuddle and hug each other and avoid their studies. That was bad behavior.
Then, the discipline mistress started cracking down on the couples.
She would punish couples ten times a day.
Following that, not many people came to this spot anymore.
The garden now was silent and quaint. It was extremely suitable for relaxation.
However, Li Zheng’s expression sank when he approached the entrance of the pavilion.
There was already someone there.
A girl was sitting on the bench with her head buried into her hugged knees. Her ponytail was half undone. The end of her ponytail dangled in a slanted fashion.
It was Lin Yujing.
Even though he could not see her face, Li Zheng recognized her black leather bag.
There was a pendant of a spaceship hanging on the zip of her bag. The word “NASA” was printed on it.
Li Zheng was confused.
He thought, “School is over. Shouldn’t she head home quickly to work on her assignments, then eat, then continue with her practice questions after dinner?”
“I came to relax, what did she come here for?”
At this thought, Li Zheng suddenly stared at Lin Yujing.
He thought, “Lin Yujing must be here to relax, too.
“So, the reason why she leaves early every day is to come here to secure a spot.
“First to fully relax and then return home to study in a fully energized state.
“It’s no wonder Lin Yujing is more efficient in her studies than me.
“She’s so crafty.”
Even though Li Zheng was not fighting for the top spot, he would not give up on such an optimal condition for relaxation.
He took a leisurely walk up the stone steps.
Lin Yujing seemed to have caught the scent of something. Her back trembled as she vigilantly lifted her head.
Her already red eyes became even redder when she realized that it was Li Zheng.
It seemed as though she really was not feeling well.
Without waiting for Li Zheng to question her, she buried her head into her knees again. She twisted her body outward and ignored Li Zheng.
“Hehe,” he thought.
Li Zheng laughed in his heart.
“As it turns out, she’s not feeling unwell. She’s angry,” Li Zheng thought.
“I can understand you. You have a reason to be frustrated.
“Your holy land of relaxation has been discovered by your classmate. You must be feeling very indignant.
“It’s alright, I will not bother you.”
Li Zheng sat on the bench that was furthest away from Lin Yujing.
He leaned against a pillar and extended his legs.
He closed his eyes, relaxed, and took a deep breath.
“Yes, this feels nice,” he thought.
[Relaxation activity detected: Light meditation.]
[Energy Recovery Rate: 1.]
[For every minute of the activity, you can recover one minute of energy, to a maximum of 30 minutes a day.]
[The energy that is recovered will be accumulated to the next day.]
[After checking, the rate of recovery for light meditation cannot be enhanced using Game Coins.]
[Please continue searching for other activities.]
Li Zheng knitted his brows.
The recovery was too slow. Furthermore, he could only recover 30 minutes every day. This was simply a waste of time. He might as well have slept.
