Chapter 10

Wang Bo opened the door in the white room and was slightly startled. The staircase that extended up to the sky, which he remembered, was gone. Although there was still a small platform behind the door, surrounded by mist, the staircase that connected to the platform had disappeared, replaced by a small wooden boat. The boat was moored on a narrow waterway, only a little more than twice the width of the boat, with smooth stone walls on both sides. This waterway, like a river in the clouds, extended far into the distance.

As soon as Wang Bo saw this scene, he knew it was a test similar to the staircase from yesterday, only the staircase had been replaced by a waterway. If he rowed the boat forward, he would likely receive a reward at the end.

After figuring this out, he boarded the small boat and picked up the oars, rowing forward with all his might. However, the rowing motion aggravated the wound on his back, making it quite painful. But to get the unknown reward, he had to grit his teeth and endure it.

After rowing for about a kilometer, Wang Bo was already drenched in sweat, his arms numb. He had to slow down his rowing, and the boat's speed immediately decreased. After a while, he was so exhausted that he could hardly catch his breath and wanted to stop for a rest. But as soon as he stopped to wipe the sweat, he noticed the boat starting to move backward. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the water in the waterway was not still but was slowly flowing backward. He was rowing against the current, and if he didn't move forward, he would move backward.

"Fuck!" Wang Bo cursed. This realization made him ignore his fatigue and continue rowing, gritting his teeth. This torment unknowingly strengthened his willpower to a great extent.

He kept rowing without stopping, and Wang Bo couldn't estimate how far he had rowed. He felt he had reached his limit and even exceeded it. Finally, when he thought he was about to collapse from exhaustion, he saw a golden line stretching across the waterway ahead. At this point, he was so tired that his eyes were blurry, and he couldn't see the small words on the golden line clearly. He vaguely felt that passing through this line meant receiving the reward.

Enticed by the reward, he encouraged himself and used all his strength to row the final stretch. Finally, when the bow of the boat hit the golden line, a system notification sounded in Wang Bo's mind: "10 points reward!"

Hearing the voice, Wang Bo collapsed on the boat, feeling a great sense of relief. He let the current push the boat backward, too exhausted to row any further. He just wanted to close his eyes and rest.

When he woke up from the dream, Wang Bo still had his eyes tightly closed, but he felt he had left the dream. Then he noticed that the fatigue from physical exhaustion was gone, and even his injuries seemed to have healed, with no more pain.

Wang Bo got up and turned on the light. The bruises and blood marks on his hands were gone. He looked in the mirror and saw that the wound on his eyebrow was still there, but he felt that the dream was truly amazing, as it had a healing effect.

Although his physical strength had recovered, his mental fatigue had not disappeared. Wang Bo subconsciously wanted to rest. Perhaps because the dream was too realistic, he was not yet accustomed to the transition.

So he lay back on the bed and quickly fell asleep.

On Sunday noon, at "Grandma's House" restaurant, Liu Yan and Kim Hyo-ri were ordering dishes when Wang Bo appeared in front of them. Liu Yan didn't seem surprised by his sudden appearance; she just glanced at him and continued looking at the menu. Wang Bo felt that Kim Hyo-ri had already betrayed him, otherwise, Liu Yan wouldn't be so calm.

He had pretended to run into them by chance, but they didn't play along. Kim Hyo-ri directly asked him to sit down, and the utensils were already prepared.

Sitting across from them, Wang Bo propped his chin with one hand and waited for them to order. Kim Hyo-ri glanced at him and suddenly asked, "What happened to your head? Did you get hurt?"

Liu Yan also looked over and noticed a band-aid on his eyebrow, frowning slightly. Wang Bo raised his hand to cover it and casually said, "Oh, it's nothing. I accidentally bumped it. It's fine now."

Kim Hyo-ri saw his evasive eyes and gave him a strange look but didn't say anything more. After they ordered a few dishes, they passed the menu to Wang Bo, asking what he wanted. He added one more dish and then called the waiter to place the order.

The drinks came first, and the three of them clinked glasses and took a few sips. Wang Bo planned to talk about the cultural festival after they had eaten a bit, but he didn't know what to chat about. The two girls were waiting for him to speak, so the atmosphere became a bit awkward.

To break the silence, Kim Hyo-ri asked about Wang Bo's track and field team. She was good at finding topics, and after a few casual questions, Wang Bo started chatting. Liu Yan also joined in, and Wang Bo shared his experiences with the track and field team.

As they chatted, the topic turned to Huang Wen and the lively discussion in the group chat a few days ago. The two girls teased him, and he explained again. However, he didn't mention that Huang Wen had invited him to dinner the day before, as he wasn't sure of her intentions and didn't want others to think he was showing off.

As they chatted, several dishes arrived, and the three of them started eating. The food here was quite delicious, and they praised it while the conversation turned to food. Liu Yan and Kim Hyo-ri talked about the delicious food they had tried in various places and recommended that Wang Bo try them if he had the chance. He just nodded in agreement.

When all the dishes were served, they were almost done eating, and Wang Bo finally turned to the main purpose of his visit.

"Actually, I asked you here today because I need your help with something," Wang Bo said, pausing. He saw that Liu Yan seemed calm, but Kim Hyo-ri's expression changed, probably because she didn't expect to be involved.

"I heard you both know how to play traditional instruments. For this cultural festival, I have a program that needs traditional music accompaniment, so I want to ask you to help me perform on stage," he said straightforwardly and sincerely, then waited for their response.

Neither of them expected this outcome. They had thought Wang Bo wanted Liu Yan to help him participate in the cultural festival performance, but it turned out he wanted to perform himself and needed their help with the music.

"What program are you going to perform?" Liu Yan asked, not yet agreeing but wanting to know more.

"Martial arts," Wang Bo answered calmly. The two girls were surprised but didn't mock him. Seeing his calmness and remembering his performance in the shot put, it wasn't surprising that he had some martial arts training, though they hadn't known about it before.

The two girls lowered their heads in thought, considering seriously. Wang Bo didn't interrupt, waiting for their response. After a while, Kim Hyo-ri leaned over and whispered to her friend. Liu Yan nodded and then asked, "Why don't you just play a tape? The recorded music would probably be better than what we can play live."

Wang Bo had prepared for this question and shook his head. "The rhythm of a recording is fixed. When I perform, there might be parts that don't match. If you play live, you can adjust the music to fit my movements, which would be better. That's why I want your help."

This reason made sense. Kim Hyo-ri added, "That means we need to arrange the music. I'm not very good at that, so it will depend on Yan. Also, the time is tight..."

She was willing to help but was honest about her limitations. Liu Yan thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have a specific piece in mind? If so, it shouldn't be too hard to adapt."

Wang Bo smiled with surprise and said, "Yes, 'Ambush on All Sides' will do. I don't think it will be too difficult for you."

It was a famous piece, and both of them were familiar with it. Even if they made some adjustments, they could adapt quickly.

"What do you think, Hyo-ri?" Liu Yan looked at her friend. "You decide?"

Actually, this was a good opportunity and a challenge. Given the special nature of the request, she was already eager to try.

Kim Hyo-ri glared at her and said, "You've already decided, so why are you asking me? Fine, I guess I'm in this with you."

"Great," Wang Bo laughed. This was related to the first system task, and it was very important. His joy and gratitude were indescribable. "Thank you so much."

He had thought that Kim Hyo-ri and Liu Yan wouldn't agree so easily and would try to get something in return, but they agreed so readily that Wang Bo felt like he was blessed by Lady Luck.

"Words of thanks are meaningless; you need to remember it in your heart," Kim Hyo-ri said, glancing at Liu Yan with a smile. "No need to offer yourself, but if we need your help in the future, you can't refuse."

"Of course," Wang Bo said solemnly. "If you need my help, just ask. I won't hesitate."

Liu Yan chuckled and said, "Let's get serious. Time is short, and we need to practice. I need to understand your movements to arrange the music. Are you free this afternoon? We can find a place to practice."

"Sure, sure," Wang Bo nodded eagerly. "But I don't have a place to practice. My home isn't spacious enough."

"Don't worry about that," Liu Yan smiled. "President Kim has connections. Finding a practice room shouldn't be a problem."

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