Wang Hao stood at the entrance to a restaurant, his jaw hanging low enough to graze the plush crimson carpet. He looked down at his slightly frayed academy jacket and then back at the shimmering crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
"Brother Lin," Wang Hao whispered. "I think we're in the wrong place. If we sit down and they bring water, that water probably costs more than my entire tuition. Let's go. There's a perfectly good grilled leek stand two blocks away."
Lin Yi didn't even slow down. "Relax, Hao. I told you I'm treating. Sit."
"Treating? Treating involves noodles! Maybe a double portion of braised pork if we're feeling reckless!" Wang Hao hissed, even as he was guided to a mahogany table by a waitress who smelled like beautiful.
Lin Yi pulled out a chair and sat, leaning back with a faint, amused smile. "Just open the menu. Order anything."
Wang Hao opened the menu, his eyes darted across the text. "Honey-Glazed Pork Ribs? Slow-Roasted Beef Brisket? Seafood Risotto with Truffle Oil?" He looked up, his face pale as he processed the prices attached to the descriptions. "Lin Yi, I love this rich version of yourself."
"Just order, Hao," Lin Yi chuckled, signaling the waitress. "Everything on the first two pages. And bring the 'Thousand-Year Spirit Grain' rice. Large portions."
The waitress bowed and glided away. Wang Hao slumped into his chair. But as the food began to arrive, Wang Hao's existential dread was rapidly replaced by a much more primal instinct: hunger.
The first dish was a plate of Wagyu, thinly sliced and sizzling on a slab. The aroma hit Wang Hao like a physical force. He hesitated for exactly half a second before his chopsticks blurred into motion.
"Oh... oh my god," Wang Hao mumbled, his eyes rolling back into his head as the meat practically dissolved on his tongue. "I can feel my cells apologizing to me for all the instant ramen I've fed them over the years."
Lin Yi watched him with a smirk, leaning on one hand while he picked at a piece of glazed poultry. "Better than the grilled leeks?"
"Don't disrespect the leeks," Wang Hao said through a mouthful of sea bass that probably cost a month's rent.
As the table filled with more dishes, the atmosphere at the table shifted from tense to comedic.
"You know," Wang Hao said, pausing to wipe a smudge of expensive sauce from his chin with a silk napkin. "I was checking the academy forums before we got here. People are still arguing about the Stoneback Bear. Some guy named 'DaggerMaster69' is insisting you must have used a one-time-use forbidden skill book."
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. "A forbidden Skill book? Those cost millions."
"Exactly!" Wang Hao pointed a chopstick at him accusingly. "But now that I see this... this spread? I'm starting to believe the rumors. Lin Yi, be honest with me. Are you a prince? Did your long-lost billionaire uncle from the Capital find you?"
Lin Yi chuckled, swirling the tea in his cup. "I told you, I just sold some materials at a good price. The shopkeeper was generous."
Wang Hao snorted so hard a piece of grain nearly flew out of his nose. "Generous? Shopkeepers in the Night Market would skin their own grandmothers for an extra copper."
"Don't exaggerate," Lin Yi said.
"I am not exaggerating!" Wang Hao proclaimed, standing up. "Tomorrow is the tournament. Everyone is worried about Chen Feng and his S-rank Stormblade. But they should be worried about you! You're going to walk into that arena and just... buy the victory! You'll probably pay the referee to declare you the winner before the bell even rings!"
"Sit down, you idiot," Lin Yi laughed, pulling Wang Hao back into his seat as a few neighboring tables glanced over.
"I'm serious!" Wang Hao subsided, though he kept his grin.
Wang Hao took a massive gulp of the fruit drink, letting out a satisfied burp that definitely didn't belong in a five-star restaurant. "But seriously... thanks for the meal. I feel like I could punch a mountain right now. Or at least a very small hill."
"Good," Lin Yi said, his gaze turning slightly more focused. "Because tomorrow won't be as easy."
Wang Hao's playfulness softened for a moment. He looked at his best friend, seeing the quiet, unshakeable confidence that had been growing ever since that first trip outside the walls.
"Chen Feng is an S-rank," Wang Hao said quietly. "He's been the one since the day he awakened. He thinks the world is a ladder and he's already at the top."
Lin Yi nodded, acknowledging Wang Hao statement.
"And if you win the championship prize?" Wang Hao asked, his eyes still lingering on the dessert menu. "Does that mean we come back here for a victory breakfast? I heard their chocolate cakes are life-changing."
Lin Yi shook his head, waving the waitress over. "Let's focus on winning first. Then we can talk about cakes."
As the waitress presented the bill, Wang Hao reflexively squinted, bracing for a crazy number. Lin Yi didn't even look at the total. He tapped his device against the receiver with a casual beep, the payment clearing instantly.
Wang Hao let out a long, theatrical sigh of relief, slumping into his chair.
Suddenly, Wang Hao stood up. To the surprise of the nearby diners and the waitress, he smoothed out his jacket and performed a deep, formal bow.
"Brother Lin," he said, his voice dropping the jokes for a rare moment of genuine sincerity. "Thank you for the meal. Seriously. Most people would have forgotten their friends the second they hit a jackpot like that. You didn't."
Lin Yi reached out and shoved Wang Hao's shoulder, forcing him back upright. "Stop being weird. It's just dinner."
Then, they stood up and walked out of the restaurant, the cool night air of the academy district greeting them. The streets were still buzzing with tournament talk, as the glow of lanterns reflecting off the pavement as they made their way back toward the dormitories.