Apollo glanced at the passed-out martial student beside his feet. His face was swollen and red from the slap from that mustache guy. It seemed like he had just slapped a fly away from his face.
Don't they have some sort of camaraderie? The beggar shook his head before he went back to cultivating. But the moment he sat down, continuous notifications appeared in front of him.
"You received 1 Alm point!"
"You received 1 Alm point!"
"You received 1 Alm point!"
This lasted until twelve notifications sounded.
Apollo couldn't help but be confused. "What's happening?" He glanced at his hand, but there were no coins that had 'unknowingly' appeared. Then his eyes landed on the man sleeping next to him. Bronze coins had fallen out of his pocket, amounting to twelve bronze coins!
That… that guy is an angel! the beggar thought, his eyes almost tearing up. Apollo's view about that guy named Yohan changed. He started to wonder when they're going to come back and slap—send another good soul to do another good deed.
Apollo smiled as he started to imagine dozens of passed-out men beside his feet with their coins falling from their pockets. He would be rich in Alm points by then!
But is this only the 9 percent luck? Apollo felt that it was too little. However, when he thought about it, it made sense. His luck had only increased by 9 percent, not to a shocking point of 20 percent and above. If he had that increase in luck, he would really question the system.
With a sigh, he noticed that the people lining up in front of the Skyline Savory branch had quieted down. Although there was still noise, compared to before, it was quieter. He also noticed the man standing beside the door, looking in his direction with a frown on his face. That man had a visibly bald patch on his head, thick eyebrows, and a low flat nose.
But the way he stood there, he emitted a certain kind of vibe that Apollo could certainly understand. From his attire, he seemed to be rich, and from the way the patrons looked at him with respect… Apollo concluded that the manager of the restaurant in front of him was right outside looking in his direction.
What? Don't tell me this guy also wanted to get rid of me to maintain their image? Ha! Do you think I will be scared with that stare of yours? Apollo smirked. But just to make sure…
He picked up the coins on the table and stood up while whistling a tune. Apollo walked into the distance before he hid behind a building where he could see the manager. Only when the manager went inside the restaurant did Apollo come back a few feet away from his beggar spot to cultivate and gain Alms at the same time.
"Sh*t, I have to raise my strength as soon as possible!" Apollo muttered and didn't bother the man sleeping beside him. Following the methods in the Simple Breathing Technique, he guided the Qi around him to strengthen his body. Soon, he entered the blank space with only him and his partner, the Qi.
A groaning sound emerged, and a young man about 17 or 18 years old woke up with dizziness, his vision blurry for a second before he realized it was already night. While still in a daze, a stinging pain attacked his face, causing him to grit his teeth. He reached out his hand, touched his face, and found it swollen and numb.
"Argh, sh*t! I have to get back!" the man muttered and did his best to stand.
"Hey," someone said, making him turn to the sound. He saw a kid wearing a dark grey robe with black hair and black eyes that looked at him innocently. "C-can you spare me some coins, Mister?"
The man glanced at the boy from head to toe, and a frown appeared on his face. "Fck off, you fcking beggar!"
"F*ck you too!" Apollo cursed back.
"F*ck you more!" the martial student shouted while walking away.
"Fck you whatever the fck your name is!" Apollo raised a hand and flipped the middle finger.
Although the man couldn't understand what it meant, he copied the beggar and did the same thing. "Fck you, beggar! If I wasn't in a hurry and injured, I would have beaten the sht out of you!"
"Come here and do it!" Apollo shouted. "And f*ck your mom!"
That comment caused the martial student to stop and glare at the beggar. "What did you say? Don't you ever bring up my mom!"
"Okay, I won't!" Apollo shouted.
The man stared at the beggar for a while before he shook his head and hurriedly walked away. He had to cultivate to prepare for the advancement examination and couldn't waste this night, as this was the only time of the day when he could cultivate in peace.
However, a few steps away, that beggar shouted again.
"F*ck your mom! Your father! Your sister! And everyone in your family! You cheap ss motherfcker!" Apollo's voice reverberated in the street, and the other people walking couldn't help but turn in the beggar's direction.
The man's swollen face became redder, and veins threatened to erupt on his forehead. He turned around angrily, but the beggar was already at the end of the street with a middle finger up in the air!
"Argh!" the man wanted to shout, but the pain on his face caused him to grunt instead.
Ten minutes later, Apollo came back beside Filly's restaurant, a smile on his face and a bun in his hand.
"So that's what they feel when they beg but don't get what they want," Apollo muttered before taking a bite from his bread. That was actually the first time he had begged someone to give him coins since he got the system. Actually, that was the first time he had begged someone in his entire two lives. It felt awful to be rejected, especially when he also got cursed. Can't he just reject me nicely?
Shaking his head, he sat down and finished his food.
"Sigh… that item ended two hours ago, and I only got 12 Alm points," Apollo expected to get more after getting the coins that fell from that man's pocket as he still had the time. However, no more surprising events had happened.
That's when he noticed a scroll on the side where that martial student had slept. Eh? What is this? Apollo picked it up, curiosity in his eyes. He opened it and read the contents.
"Official Invitation For The Advancement Examination!
Prove your Cultivation and Strength. Every student must participate in order to fully assess the Martial School and its Martial Students. Those who rank at the top will receive the following prizes:
Top 1: Advanced Cultivation Bead, a Private Cultivation Abode in the inner sector of your Martial School (The resources are provided by the officials.), a chance to choose a cultivation technique from Klown's Cultivation Library, a one-on-one meeting with Mayor Klown.
Top 2: Advanced Cultivation Bead, a chance to choose a cultivation technique from Klown's Cultivation Library, a one-on-one meeting with Mayor Klown.
Top 3: Advanced Cultivation Bead, a chance to choose a cultivation technique from Klown's Cultivation Library.
Top 4 & 5: Advanced Cultivation Bead.
This invitation must be kept by your side at all times. Once lost, you won't be able to participate in the Advancement Examination!"
Apollo shook his head at the unfortunate soul who left it here, probably that cheap man who wouldn't spare a coin for him. The beggar shamelessly forgot that he had stolen that man's money!
"But what am I going to do with this?" Apollo muttered. After finishing his bread, he was about to throw the scroll inside under his roof when an idea came to mind.