Chapter 4: Burn My Calories! (Edited)

"Asshole, what did you say?"

Stung by Clark's words, the gorilla's blood boiled, and his eyes reddened as he prepared to charge at Clark: "I'm going to flatten you, you yellow-skinned monkey!"

As the gorilla roared, the surrounding onlookers, attracted by the commotion, immediately gathered around.

"Wow, God, what am I seeing? Clark is actually provoking the gorilla!"

"Does he not want to live?"

...

"My God, this is simply the biggest mismatch of the year, I can't bear to watch anymore..."

"This is too cruel!"

...

Received +1 impression point from Chris Owen!

Received +1 impression point from Blake Valen!

Received from...

...

An unexpected gain?

Clark's eyes lit up; it seemed like a good way to collect impression points! As for the gorilla about to charge at him, Clark found his proposal quite appealing!

Just verbally provoking him resulted in 9 impression points; if he could leave some deep memories on his body... hehehe.

Seeing the gorilla about to pounce, Clark was also ready for battle, his eyes unflinchingly meeting the gorilla's, while his right leg's muscles tensed, ready for a sneak attack.

If you can't win by strength, play dirty!

Although the gorilla was a school bully, he only had the potential of an athlete, not even a professional one, let alone a professional combat sports athlete.

Since he wasn't professional, the outcome of a fight wasn't solely dependent on basic attributes, and certainly not the most critical factor. Compared to that, being ruthless and cunning was key to determining the outcome among amateurs.

If he could land this kick, even the strongest hulk would instantly lose fighting capability! Victory hung in the balance.

Winning would mean a massive collection of impression points.

If he lost, it seemed there wouldn't be much of an issue.

After all, they were in school, how much could the gorilla really do to him?

More importantly, as long as there was chaos, he could collect impression points; the difference between winning and losing was just the amount of impression points collected. With that in mind, why fear? Roll up your sleeves and get to work! Clark was ready to fight!

Just as a not-suitable-for-children school brawl was about to erupt, an abrupt voice successfully halted everything: "Stop it, you two fools!"

Hearing this voice, both parties were shocked; turning their heads to see the speaker, both backed down.

Even the surrounding onlookers were inwardly startled upon seeing who spoke, collectively clearing a path to the center of the "arena."

"Vice Principal William!"

"You two, causing trouble and fighting in school, completely disregarding school rules and discipline! Now, run 20 laps around the track. Whoever finishes last, or doesn't finish, must apologize to the one who finishes first."

Vice Principal William, without asking for details, announced a punishment that was seemingly fair but actually stemmed from his dislike for both of them.

If this were in the indescribable country before traveling through time, a student like Clark, who usually kept to himself, didn't show off, and had good academic performance, would be a key protection target for the school and teachers. In conflicts with the likes of the gorilla, almost all teachers would side with him.

Unfortunately, this is the Marvel world's America, where children with weak sports and social skills are not favored in American high schools.

Good grades are useless! Of course, Vice Principal William also disapproved of the gorilla. Being outgoing and good at sports is great in America, but that doesn't mean you can cause trouble whenever you want.

Anyone who likes to cause trouble for themselves is unlikely to be seen favorably by others.

With a seemingly "fair" punishment, punishing two students he disliked at the same time, and even ensuring the punishments varied in severity to suit his own preferences, Vice Principal William felt he was incredibly clever, even giving himself a mental thumbs-up.

Hearing Vice Principal William's decision, the gorilla's eyes lit up, taunting Clark: "You're done!"

Clark just shrugged indifferently. Although he currently lacked the power to challenge the vice principal's decision, running? Who's afraid of who? Snap his fingers, and off he goes, with the tune "Burn My Calories" playing.

...

Received +1 impression point from Susanna David!

Received +1 impression point from Morrison Leonard!

Received from...

A few stray impression points rounded up to +1!

Due to Vice Principal William's punishment, Clark and the gorilla became the focus of the entire school. Especially the gorilla's class teacher, who, upon hearing the news, immediately rallied the entire class to cheer him on.

Although they were supporting the gorilla, they also inadvertently paid attention to Clark, his opponent.

Since they noticed him, impression points were up for grabs.

Running to the music of "Calories" and hearing the "God-level BGM System" announce impression point gains, Clark felt life was wonderful, and the air so fresh...

Half an hour passed in a blink, and while the gorilla had completed ten laps, Clark was close behind. However, the gorilla's mood was far from as beautiful as Clark's.

At the start of the race, relying on his innate advantage as a physical education student, the gorilla didn't take Clark seriously at all, sprinting from the start and speeding all the way. By the fifth lap, he had already lapped Clark, basking in glory.

However, what he hadn't expected was that after five laps, his physical energy began to decline, while Clark maintained his initial pace and continued running.

"Burn my calories! Goodbye, doughnuts, bubble tea, instant noodles..."

The annoying music playing from behind signaled to the gorilla that Clark had caught up again, erasing the advantage he had initially built.

Received +9 impression points from Joe Soukook!

Being directly involved, the gorilla could provide more impression points than the surrounding onlookers, a solid 5 points at once.

Watching Clark pass him, even taking a triumphant look, the gorilla inwardly cursed.

But after running for so long, he had cooled down and began to reflect on his mistakes.

The school's track was approximately 500 meters in circumference, totaling 10 kilometers for 20 laps, nearly pushing him to his limit. Yet, in his eagerness to show off, he had sprinted from the start, rapidly depleting his energy, which was unwise.

Fortunately, the race was only halfway through, and he still had a chance to turn the tables.

By calming down and slowing his pace to conserve energy, completing the remaining 10 laps seemed feasible. As for Clark, who was temporarily ahead, the gorilla didn't believe a homebody's physical endurance could sustain such a pace for a 10-kilometer run.

With this in mind, the gorilla began to calm his emotions and slow his pace, managing his energy consumption.

However, an unexpected turn of events thoroughly disrupted the gorilla's strategy.

Seeing Clark catch up from being lapped to gaining some advantage, Clark's class teacher, not wanting to miss the chance for class glory, followed the gorilla's class teacher's example, leading the entire class out of the building to cheer for Clark.

This act, while not affecting Clark much, deeply agitated the gorilla.

Seeing his crush also watching the race, the gorilla couldn't focus on conserving energy any longer. Gritting his teeth, he increased his speed once more, chasing after Clark with renewed vigor.