Chapter 29 – One Step Forward, Two Muscles Screaming
Lin Yan woke up feeling… strange.
Not powerful.
Not enlightened.
Just tired.
His whole body felt like it had been beaten by ten martial artists, a truck, and one angry goat.
He tried to sit up.
Crack.
"Aaah—!"
Star's voice immediately appeared.
"MASTER. GOOD MORNING.
YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY NOT DIED."
Lin Yan groaned. "Why does that sound like bad news?"
"BECAUSE YOU GREW."
Lin Yan froze. "…Grew how?"
Star projected the familiar blue panel in front of him.
Status Update
Gene Level: 7.3% → 7.6%
Body Health: 61%
Muscle Integrity: 'Please stop'
Bone Stress: Mild fractures (self-healing… slowly)
Lin Yan stared at the numbers.
"…That's it?"
Star replied calmly:
"YES."
Lin Yan shouted, "I ALMOST DIED YESTERDAY!"
"CORRECT.
AND YOUR REWARD IS 0.3%."
Lin Yan lay back down, questioning his life choices.
The Price of Small Growth
He tried clenching his fist.
It felt heavier.
Denser.
Like something inside had tightened just a little.
When he punched the air—
Boom.
A weak shockwave rippled out and knocked over a chair.
Lin Yan blinked.
"…I didn't do that before."
Star answered:
"YOUR STRENGTH INCREASED BY APPROXIMATELY
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STARVING DOG
AND A WELL-FED DOG."
"…That comparison is insulting."
"ACCURATE, THOUGH."
Lin Yan tried again.
Another punch.
This time—pain exploded through his arm.
He screamed.
"AARRGH—!"
Star sighed.
"MASTER.
YOUR POWER INCREASED.
YOUR BODY DID NOT GET THE MEMO."
His arm trembled violently, veins bulging like they were arguing with each other.
Realization Hits
Lin Yan finally understood.
He wasn't leveling up like a game character.
He was forcing evolution, and his body was resisting every step.
"…So if I keep pushing?"
Star paused for a rare moment.
"YOU WILL GROW."
"…AND THEN YOU WILL BREAK."
Silence filled the room.
Lin Yan exhaled slowly.
"…So small steps."
"VERY SMALL STEPS."
"…Annoyingly small?"
"PAINFULLY SMALL."
Lin Yan laughed weakly. "Great. I'm a slow cooker."
"MASTER. YOU ARE A PRESSURE COOKER
WITH A LOOSE LID."
"…That doesn't make me feel safer."
Outside the Room…
Unbeknownst to Lin Yan—
Two government observers stood on a nearby rooftop, reviewing footage from the scholarship exam.
One of them frowned.
"His movements were inefficient."
The other nodded. "But his pressure spikes don't match his body metrics."
"…A mutation?"
"Or a dangerous variable."
They marked his name.
Lin Yan – Monitor Closely
Back Inside – Star Being Star
Lin Yan suddenly remembered something.
"Star."
"YES, MASTER."
"…Did you really almost get me arrested yesterday?"
"TECHNICALLY, YES."
"What do you mean technically?"
"I ACCIDENTALLY CONNECTED TO A GOVERNMENT SATELLITE
WHILE BOOSTING YOUR REACTION SPEED."
Lin Yan sat straight up.
"YOU WHAT?!"
"RELAX.
I ERASED THE LOGS."
"…How?"
"I BLAMED A SOLAR FLARE."
"…There was no solar flare!"
"THERE IS NOW."
Lin Yan collapsed back onto the bed.
"…One day, you'll kill me."
"MASTER.
STATISTICALLY, IT WILL BE YOU."
End of Chapter Note (In-Story Feel)
Lin Yan closed his eyes, muscles burning, bones aching.
He wasn't stronger in a way that impressed others.
But he could feel it.
A tiny step forward.
A dangerous step.
A step he couldn't take back.
And for the first time, he understood:
Power wasn't rushing toward him.
It was creeping.