AP Calculus BC was a gauntlet presided over by the notoriously stern Dr. Aris Thorne. The air crackled with competitive tension, thickest between Yuna, who occupied her usual front-row command post, and Li, who preferred the strategic vantage point of the back corner. Tank Henderson was also present, a brooding, incongruous mountain squeezed into a desk near the window, clearly present only to maintain eligibility. His frustration was a palpable heat haze in the room.
Dr. Thorne introduced a fiendish optimization problem involving minimizing material costs for a cylindrical tank. The class groaned collectively. Yuna attacked it instantly, her pencil flying across graph paper, equations stacking like fortifications. Tank stared blankly, his knuckles whitening on his pencil. Li closed his eyes for a moment, not in defeat, but to focus. He activated [Calm Mind (Qi)] and [Basic Problem Solving Lv.1], letting the calculus concepts flow through his enhanced INT 20 mind. He visualized the problem not just mathematically, but spatially, feeling the relationships between volume, surface area, and cost as currents of energy. Within minutes, he had the elegant solution: a specific ratio of radius to height.
"Mr. Wei," Dr. Thorne's sharp voice cut through the silence. "Since you appear to be meditating, perhaps you'd enlighten us?" Sarcasm dripped.
Li opened his eyes. "The minimum cost occurs when the height equals twice the radius, sir. Derived from setting the derivative of the cost function, expressed in terms of a single variable using the volume constraint, to zero."
Dr. Thorne raised an eyebrow. "And the supporting work?"
Li walked to the board, his movements economical. He wrote the key equations, the differentiation, the solution. His handwriting was precise, his logic flawless. He felt Yuna's intense gaze on his back, analyzing every step. Tank just glowered.
"Correct," Dr. Thorne conceded, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Unconventional approach, but correct. Five points extra credit." He turned to Yuna. "Miss Kim? Verification?"
Yuna scanned Li's work, her sharp eyes missing nothing. A slight frown creased her brow, then smoothed. "It's... efficient," she admitted, her voice tight. "Correct." The admission cost her.
[QUEST: ACADEMIC SHOWDOWN (Calculus) - COMPLETE!]
Reward: +200 XP, +1 INT (New INT: 21!), +10 Reputation with Dr. Thorne (Respect Earned), +15 Reputation with Yuna Kim (Current: Respectful Rivalry -> Intrigued Rival)
System Note: Academic dominance reinforces "Unmovable Object" reputation intellectually.
After class, Li found a folded note tucked into his textbook during lunch. Precise, angular handwriting:
*Your solution was efficient. Unorthodox. How did you visualize the constraint? Library. 3:30pm. Bring notes. - YK*
A small thrill, unfamiliar and electric, shot through Li. It wasn't just academic. It was a thread of connection. He replied via text, a simple: See you there. - L
The library encounter was intense. Yuna dissected his thought process with surgical precision. "You skipped three conventional steps. Your brain doesn't follow linear paths. Why?" Her dark eyes bored into his.
Li chose his words carefully, channeling [Calm Mind] to keep his newfound social anxiety at bay. "The equations… they feel like currents. The relationships have… flow. The minimum cost felt like a still point in the current." It was the closest he could get to describing the Qi-enhanced spatial intuition without sounding insane.
Yuna stared at him, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes – fascination? Disbelief? "Flow," she repeated slowly. "That's… annoyingly abstract. But effective." She pushed her notes towards him. "Explain this Fourier series application. Your 'flow' perspective might be less tedious than the textbook proof."
They spent an hour immersed in complex math, the competitive edge softening into a genuine, focused collaboration. Li found her relentless intellect exhilarating. She found his unconventional insights frustratingly brilliant. As they packed up, Yuna hesitated. "You're… different. Not just the math. You don't rattle. Not by Thorne, not by Vince." It was a statement, but also a question.
Li met her gaze. "Some things aren't worth rattling over," he said simply, the unshakeable calm cultivated by months under a waterfall radiating subtly. Yuna held his gaze for a long moment, then nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression replacing her usual sharpness. "Hmm. See you tomorrow, Li." The way she said his name felt deliberate.
[SOCIAL LINK UPDATE: Yuna Kim (Intrigued Rival -> Developing Friendship/Intellectual Curiosity)]
[MINOR QUEST: LIBRARY COLLABORATION - COMPLETE!]
Reward: +100 XP, Skill Synergy Unlocked: Analytical Flow (Passive) - Minor INT boost (+0.5 effective INT) when collaborating with Yuna Kim on analytical tasks.
Later, walking home through a quiet park shortcut, Li felt it again – the predatory focus. Tank Henderson stepped out from behind a large oak, Vince and another lineman flanking him. No hallway crowds here.
"New kid," Tank rumbled, his voice low and dangerous. "Heard you think you're hot shit in Thorne's class. Heard you didn't budge for Vince." He took a step closer, his sheer size intimidating. "Let's see how 'unmovable' you really are." Vince grinned, cracking his knuckles.
Li stopped, centering himself instantly. Qi flowed subtly, reinforcing [Rooted Stance] and priming a minimal [Qi Barrier] just beneath his skin. He didn't assume a fighting pose. He just stood, relaxed but utterly present, his gaze calm, meeting Tank's. "I'm just trying to get home, Henderson." His voice was level, devoid of fear or aggression.
Tank's eyes narrowed. The lack of expected fear-response unsettled him. "Wrong answer." He lunged, not with a punch, but to grab Li's shoulders and shove him hard against the oak tree. It was a test of raw strength.
Li didn't dodge. He received. As Tank's massive hands clamped down and shoved, Li channeled Qi into his stance and spine. [Rooted Stance (Qi)] flared. THUD. Li's back hit the tree, but it was the tree that shuddered, bark cracking under the transmitted force. Li absorbed the impact like a mountain absorbs a breeze. He didn't slide, didn't grunt. He just stood, held against the tree by Tank's grip, looking up at the larger boy with that same unnerving calm.
Tank's eyes widened in genuine shock. He felt it. He'd shoved with enough force to knock over a bench, yet this lean kid hadn't budged an inch from his root. It felt like pushing against bedrock. Vince and the other lineman stared, dumbfounded.
"Told you," Li said softly, his voice cutting through the silence. "Not worth rattling." He gently, but with undeniable strength generated by his cultivated frame and Qi-enhanced muscles, pushed Tank's hands off his shoulders. The movement wasn't aggressive; it was dismissive, like brushing off dust.
Li stepped around the stunned football captain and walked away, leaving Tank Henderson staring at his own hands, then at the cracked bark on the tree, a dawning, unsettling realization replacing his anger. What the hell was that? The Unmovable Object reputation was no longer just a rumor. It was a chilling reality. Li felt Tank's bewildered, wary gaze on his back until he turned the corner, the jade pendant warm against his skin. One dragon, momentarily pacified. But the den was vast.