8. Ready for the Exam?!

Mo met mike in a metro at 11.00 night.

so what is the emergency that you had to call me in the middle of the night. you're not going to murder me are you?" Mike said while chuckling.

"Haha. Don't joke around."

"May I try the thing I told you about?" Mo skipped some parts of the story like the system Mike for obvious reasons...

Mike still had reservations, but he could see the desperation in Mo's eyes. He took a deep breath and nodded slowly.

"Alright," Mike said. "But I'm not going to hurt you."

Mo smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

Mike stepped closer and raised his fist. Mo braced himself, his heart pounding in his chest. Suddenly, Mike's fist shot out, connecting with Mo's jaw with a sickening thud.

Mo stumbled backward, his head spinning. He felt a sharp pain in his jaw, but to his surprise, he was still standing.

*+10 HWP*

"Again," Mo said, his voice barely a whisper.

*+10 HWP*

Mike hesitated for a moment before delivering another blow, this time to Mo's stomach. Mo doubled over in pain, but he refused to go down.

"One more time," Mo gasped.

*+15 HWP*

Mike's third punch was the hardest yet. It sent Mo crashing to the ground, his vision blurring.

**Note:** Objective 350 points reached, you will be rewarded for your hard work with another 350 points, congratulations for coming this far!

As Mo lay there, dazed and disoriented, Mike knelt beside him.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked, his voice filled with concern.

Mo nodded with ecstasy. "I am more than okay."

He was extremely happy he achieved his goal!

*+350 HWP*

**Total HWP: 815**

Congratulations on reaching your objective! You have earned an additional 350 HWP for your hard work and dedication. Keep up the great work!

"Hahah, lets go! This is more like it!

....

As Mo was making his way back home, he suddenly saw two shadowed figures arguing , and out of nowhere, one of them pulled out a knife and stabs the second guy in the stomach!

Mo was horrified to witness a stabbing. He saw a man wielding a knife, lunging at another man on the street. Mo's heart raced as he watched the victim fall to the ground, blood seeping from his wounds.

Mo's instincts kicked in, and he knew he had to do something. He couldn't just stand there and watch someone die. "System, allocate 100 HWP for strength".

*Strength +10*

Adrenaline coursing through his veins, Mo charged towards the attacker, shouting for him to stop.

"HEYY!"

The attacker turned to face Mo, his eyes filled with rage. Mo realized that he was underarmed, but he refused to back down. He grabbed a nearby object and threw it at the attacker, hitting him in the head.

!CRACK!

The bottle shattered on the assailant's head due to Mo's big increase in power.

The attacker stumbled backward and crashed into a pile of garbage, unable to move. The knife dropped from his hand. Giving Mo a chance to reach his and secure the weapon.

After, he knelt down next to the victim and tried to stop the bleeding, when he did that, he realized that the victim was but a child! He should be 15 years old at most. Mo tried to do heal the boy but he was just a second too late! The victim had lost too much blood and was beyond saving!

"System allocate 100 points for healing"

*Okay, but you know that isn't enought to save him, right?* For the first time in a while, the system personnalt spoke to Mo.

"DAMN IT!! How much does it cost to save him?!" Mo shouted.

*1,000 points initially, now it is 900 HWP.*

"What!? Is there any way I can pay for this? " Mo asked the system to give him a way out."

*Actually, there is but you won't like it.*

"Whatever, just do it!"

He wasn't about to just let a kid die right in front of him, not if he could do something about it.

A few seconds later. A huge surge of pain attacked Mo in every part of his body? He started to bleed from his nose, ears, mouth and even eyes!

"AAGHHHH!! HAAA"

Mo houled at the intensity of the pain, this time it was even worse than the previous one!

He could barely hold it together and was struggling to breath properly.

"AAGHHH"

Mo continued screaming in the dark alleyway, if anyone saw the scene, they would have immediately scurried away.

....

A couple of minutes later, the pain subsided a Mo finally received the notification he has been waiting for.

*Congratulations, you have passed the trial. The patient will be saved.*

"Haha" Mo didn't know whether he should be happy or sad.

He had spent all his points that he worked so hard for, and on top of that endured the pain for being 100 points short!

Mo stayed with the victim until the police and paramedics arrived. He gave his statement to the police. Just when he was about to leave the boy weakly asked:

" Sir, your name?"

"Monni Shotil, but you can call me Mo"

The boy smiled and went back to sleep as the paramedics loaded him into the van.

.....

"Haha" Mo crashed into the bed as soon as he entered his apartment.

The stabbing had a profound impact on Mo. He couldn't stop thinking about the victim and the attacker.

He was also conflicted because now he had no points for the exam! And there was no way he could make enough in just a few hours.

It was currently 2 am, and the test starts at 8.00 !

"I guess I'll just have to give my best, even if I don't make it into this University, there are plenty more. Besides, won't it be suspicious for me to get kicked out of a 3rd tier Uni then join a 1st one as if nothing happened?"

Mo tried to console himself, however couldn't help but feel depressed at all the effort that was wasted.

"Damn it! Didn't the system say that I would be rewarded for my hard work! How is this a reward!? Ita more of a punishment if you ask me." Mo whined.

And just when he was about to give up and go to sleep, he heard another notification.

*Ding! Congratulations for reaching a new level!*

"New level? What is this thing on about!?"

"System explain"

*You have bravely fought the attacker and have proven your courage and selflessness by rescuing an innocent boy from an attacker. You have also successfully endured the Trials and Tribulations Test even when it didn't benefit you personally. These are both qualities of a true hero.*

*Therefore I would like to personally congratulate you on reaching the Second Level of the hardworking system. This is a big milestone as it will propel you to future improvements.!*

"Wait, what?! What do you mean, and what is this second level. Do I get any rewards or something like that? What is different about the second level?" Mo was understandably confused and had a lot of questions.

*Of course, it's very different! Firstly, you will be rewarded with a sum of 1,000 HWP points!*

**As for rewards**, reaching the Second Level of the hardworking system comes with several benefits:

* **Increased stats**: Your strength, agility, and intelligence will all receive a permanent boost.

* **New skills**: You will unlock new skills that will help you in your journey, such as the ability to use magic or craft powerful weapons.

* **Access to new areas**: You will now be able to access new areas of the board that were previously blurred off to you.

* **Increased reputation**: Your reputation as a hero will grow, and people will be more likely to trust and help you.

*In addition to these tangible rewards, reaching the Second Level is also a major milestone in your personal growth. It shows that you have the courage, determination, and compassion to make a difference in the world. Congratulations again on this great achievement! I know that you will continue to do great things!*

....

Mo was shocked to the core and didn't know how to respond.

After a few seconds of silence, suddenly, he started shouting and laughing happily as if he were an animal!

"HAHAHAH!"

"YESSS!!"

Mo clenched his fists tightly, he was shaking with hapiness.

He was proud of himself for achieving this goal, and he knew that he would continue to do great things. Now he knew that he doing the right thing was always worth it!

As Mo prepared to go to bed, he was excited to see what the future held...