Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat - Chapter 67

Chapter 67: High School Flashback

Ethan lingered for a while longer, his eyes scanning the area. No sign of Blade Syndicate, not even a scout.

Everything was already in place, with Skyblade and the others handling things. Ethan didn’t need to concern himself further.

He left the area alone, planning to find a spot to farm monsters and grind out some experience. More importantly, he needed to clear his red-named status. Opening his stats panel, his eyes locked on the Sin Value section, which now displayed a glaring “Max!”

“What the hell does that even mean?” Ethan muttered, baffled.

Was it maxed out? How long would it take to clear this? For a brief moment, despair crept into his heart.

He glanced at the time, it was already past six in the morning.

Frustrated by the thought of grinding for hours, Ethan logged out of the game. It was time to work out anyway.

Leaving the villa, Ethan began jogging down the quiet streets of Eastwood Manor.

It didn’t take long before he spotted a gym just a few blocks away. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he noticed a surprising number of people already working out, even this early in the morning.

By 2024, fitness had become a national trend in America. For the past three years, practically everyone had embraced exercise as part of their daily lives. High schools had added physical training to their curriculum, and by the time students graduated, physical fitness scores carried significant weight in college admissions.

In universities, martial arts and combat techniques were mandatory courses, carrying more credit weight than academic subjects. Without passing these courses, you couldn’t even graduate.

This boom in fitness culture had turned gyms, martial arts schools, and combat academies into thriving businesses. Ten years ago, gyms were rare, and combat schools were practically nonexistent in urban areas. But now, almost every neighborhood had multiple gyms competing for members, and at least one martial arts or combat studio on every street.

With advances in technology reducing work hours, people had more free time, and hitting the gym became the go-to pastime. Knowing a few combat moves wasn’t just trendy, it earned you respect.

For young men, showing off some martial skills made socializing, especially with women, much easier. And for those looking to meet someone, gyms were often filled with stunningly fit individuals, making them ideal spots.

In his previous life, Ethan never had the chance to set foot in such places. Although they were widespread, memberships were ridiculously expensive.

Before Ethereal’s launch, he had been a struggling orphan, barely able to scrape together two meals a day. His frail body had always held him back in school fitness courses, let alone in high-end gyms where he would’ve been out of place and humiliated.

When Ethereal launched, he had a brief taste of glory. But within six months, it all crumbled. His legs were taken from him in a cruel betrayal, plunging him into a deeper abyss. Self-care became a daily struggle, and by the time of his rebirth, he had survived solely by earning a meager living through Ethereal.

Now, standing in front of the gym, Ethan paused, realization dawning. He hadn’t tested his strength in ages.

Approaching the gym entrance, he noticed a small sign taped to the door: “For Sale.” He shrugged it off. For sale didn’t mean closed. He pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The interior was impressive, with state-of-the-art equipment neatly arranged. It was far better equipped than anything he’d seen at his old school.

“Two hours, please,” Ethan said, pulling out a hundred dollars and placing it on the front counter.

He hadn’t even glanced at the person behind the desk, his eyes busy taking in the gym’s impressive layout.

“Ethan?”

Hearing someone call his name, he turned toward the counter, his brow furrowing.

The woman standing there stared at him with a mix of surprise and smugness. For a moment, Ethan couldn’t place her. But then, recognition flickered in his mind.

“Jade Taylor?” Ethan ventured hesitantly, unsure. The heavy makeup made it difficult to be certain, but the face seemed familiar.

Her exaggerated expression morphed into a teasing smirk. “Oh, so now you’re pretending we just happened to bump into each other?” she sneered, crossing her arms and leaning forward.

Jade Taylor, Ethan’s old high school classmate. She had always been somewhat attractive, with smooth cheeks, long eyeliner flicking up at the corners, and delicately arched brows. Her eyes, in particular, were mesmerizing.

If she didn’t speak and people didn’t know her true nature, many would be captivated by her at first glance.

Back in high school, she was even called the school’s second-most beautiful girl.

But adding Ethan’s previous life to his current one, he was now effectively five years older than her.

His perspective had naturally shifted. If it came to makeup, Jade didn’t hold a candle to Ivy. And without makeup, she was leagues away from Lyla.

Lyla was effortlessly stunning, the kind of beauty who could outshine everyone even in a massive university. Compared to her, the title of ‘second most beautiful girl’ in a small high school seemed utterly insignificant.

After high school, Ethan had heard Jade didn’t go to college but jumped straight into the workforce.

It wasn’t surprising, given her behavior during high school. She had spent most of her time hanging out with thugs, skipping class, or outright ditching school. Getting into college would’ve been a pipe dream for her.

The only reason she even graduated high school was because her family had money. Rumor had it her parents had bribed the principal to keep her enrolled.

But right before the college entrance exams, her family went bankrupt. After that, she disappeared from school entirely.

“I said, give me two hours,” Ethan repeated, his tone cold as his eyes flicked over Jade.

He hadn’t expected to find her working here, of all places. He genuinely disliked her. Ethan rarely hated people outright, but Jade might have been the exception.

Even Zachary and Ivy, he didn’t hate them; he resented them. But Jade? She was different.

That hatred stemmed from something that happened years ago, during his first year of high school.

At the time, Ethan had developed a crush on a quiet, studious Asian girl named Rainie Chen. There was something about her reserved demeanor that reminded him of Lyla.

Like any teenager with a newfound infatuation, Ethan had written a love letter. But before he could summon the courage to give it to her, the letter, tucked away in his desk, somehow ended up in Jade’s hands.

The timing was painfully ironic, Jade had been sitting a row behind Rainie in class, and someone had mistakenly assumed the letter was meant for her, despite the fact that Ethan had started it with, “Rain…” which he felt was quite a poetic opening, as it matched Rainie’s name.

Jade, however, took the letter and went around telling everyone that Ethan had a crush on her.

Worse, she made a huge scene, publicly “rejecting” him in the most humiliating way possible. She had mocked him relentlessly, calling him a parentless stray and saying he was like a dog, biting more than he could chew.

That incident left a scar on Ethan, one he carried through all three years of high school. He couldn’t shake the embarrassment, and it showed in his grades, which remained mediocre throughout.

Thankfully, Ethan still managed to scrape into college. Jade, however, vanished after their graduation.

Ethan had tried to find her a few times, but not out of any sense of closure. It was because she had stolen something precious from him.

A bracelet, a simple one that Ethan always carried. It had been too small for his wrist, so he usually kept it in his pocket.

One day, he left his jacket in the classroom to use the bathroom. When he returned, the bracelet was gone.

Some classmates said they’d seen Jade rummaging through his things.