Chapter Eighty-Seven: The University Games

The Peach City University Games were held on November 20.

It was a cherished sporting tradition in Peach City, held once every year. University students competed in athletic events, and students from sports schools also took part. In general, victories and defeats were evenly shared, since many universities had their own athletic specialists.

Lucio stood among a crowd of university students, his appearance, bearing, and vigor blending in so naturally that he looked as if he belonged there. After all, he was only eighteen. Had life unfolded normally, he would now have been one of the students around him.

Not everyone knew who Lucio was.

Though the newspapers and television in Peach City had recently been full of reports about him.

But when the starter’s pistol cracked at the hundred-meter race, Lucio burst from the line in the lead.

He displayed such an overwhelming advantage that all the university spectators were struck dumb with admiration.

To their eyes, the runner in lane four possessed a unique beauty of fluid motion and force, the poise and presence of a true professional athlete, one who had devoted his life to this sport.

The result was never in doubt.

Lucio won the hundred meters in 10.49 seconds, broke the record for the Peach City University Games, and raised that mark to the standard of the provincial meet.

There was also a medal ceremony at the Games, and when Lucio had barely received his medal before hurrying off to the two-hundred-meter race, Juno and Thomas, who were there to watch, both thought, He really is busy.

In the two hundred meters, Lucio remained far ahead of the field, finishing in 20.85 seconds and once again smashing the university games record.

Then came the four hundred.

Well...

In the four hundred, Lucio gave up halfway through.

He had never trained professionally for that distance, and his pacing was off; by the midpoint he had been left behind. For the sake of appearances, he had no choice but to pretend he had twisted an ankle and withdrew from the track.

This left the spectators, eager to watch the great black giant continue his relentless domination, deeply disappointed.

“Lucio’s injured!” Juno exclaimed from the stands.

“That kid’s faking it. He just can’t keep going,” Thomas said, knowing Lucio better. Back then, even when Lucio’s shoe sole came apart during training, he would still act as though nothing had happened. His pride was astonishing.

“Let’s go see him,” Juno said.

...

At that moment, Lucio was in the athletes’ rest area, taking stock of his gains.

Hundred meters: one attribute point.

Two hundred meters: one attribute point.

Although beating the East Green Games and winning this laughably easy university meet yielded the same reward from the status panel, which made Lucio feel a little wronged, he kept quiet since the unfairness was in his favor.

But there was no reward for breaking records. Well... if there wasn’t, then so be it. To complain that the status panel still refused to grant him a skill would be a bit greedy.

Perhaps the status panel simply did not recognize the record of the university games, or rather, did not acknowledge a record lower than Lucio’s previous marks.

It was a pity he had not beaten those university students in the four hundred.

With some practice, that event should improve significantly.

Lucio had lost the four hundred through technique alone; his physical condition was perfectly fine.

But the eight hundred and fifteen hundred were out of the question. Lucas had not even signed him up.

Lucio’s build and training direction were not suited to long-distance running.

High jump and long jump seemed unlikely as well.

He had seen some male university athletes clear more than two meters.

Apart from the hundred and two hundred, where Lucio was confident of absolute dominance, the four hundred was still worth a try; every other event was difficult.

What if he disguised himself and ran in the women’s division?

Lucio was still mulling over this when, with a towel draped over his head for shade and contemplation, he suddenly heard a soft, delicate voice.

“Hello, Lucio.”

Lucio lifted the towel and saw Ruan Mei.

When Ruan Mei spoke, she always sounded as if she owed someone a bushel of grain, naturally carrying an air of apology.

“How do those Swiftstep 1.0s feel?” Ruan Mei asked, referring to the shoes on Lucio’s feet.

These shoes were custom-made by Lion King for Lucio. After taking his measurements, they had spent about ten days handcrafting a pair of professional running shoes called Swiftstep. In the future, Lion King would launch this line to the market as a premium product.

“They’re great,” Lucio said earnestly. He had previously run in A&F shoes and other brands; they were comfortable enough, but none provided the kind of snug, thoughtful support that Lion King’s Swiftstep did.

It was as though he were running barefoot, yet every place that should have been supported or cushioned was exactly where it needed to be.

“But you aren’t running at your fastest,” Ruan Mei said. “So they still feel uncomfortable, don’t they?”

“It’s because I wasn’t pushing myself. There’s no need to give everything against these university students,” Lucio replied. He did not wear a glass crown, but these shoes had indeed improved his performance.

Before signing the contract with Lion King, Lucio had specifically taken Lucas with him to inspect their production base, business license, technical patent certificates, and some photo and video evidence from Hong Kong.

Athlete endorsements had to be handled cautiously. Those who only took the money and ignored a brand’s qualifications and quality would sooner or later crash and burn.

The local DaFu Supermarket in Peach City was connected to Lucas, so there was no need to doubt it. But this Lion King company had appeared out of nowhere, and a proper investigation was necessary.

The investigation showed no problems. It was a sports shoe brand with high-end technology. When they visited the factory, Ruan Mei’s father measured Lucio’s foot shape for him and said that with their mature technology, the first pair of custom running shoes made specifically for Lucio could be produced in ten days.

This was the pair Lucio was wearing today at the university games.

Very good.

And there was still room for adjustment.

“The forefoot section could be adjusted. Could the sole be a little stiffer? When I use a different running style, I want my foot to strike and rebound faster, so the elasticity should lean a bit harder...”

Lucio and Ruan Mei discussed it.

“That can be done. At present the number of carbon struts is four, but it can be reduced to three...” Ruan Mei said, and as she spoke, she also crouched down to feel Lucio’s shoes and the soles of his feet.

...

Juno was worried Lucio might really be hurt, so she went to the athletes’ rest area to check on him.

When she and Thomas arrived, there were hardly any people around.

But what they saw was a strange scene.

Lucio was sitting there, and in front of him stood a girl in a black dress. She had snow-white skin and long, straight black hair, and was crouching down to massage Lucio’s feet.

...

Ah-ha!

Thomas subconsciously glanced at Juno.

He saw Juno frown.

...

“Lucio!” Thomas called out.

Lucio and the girl turned at the same time. In that instant, seeing the girl’s face, Thomas thought with a jolt: it really is her—the beautiful woman from Hong Kong named Ruan Mei.

Seeing Juno and Thomas, Lucio stood up, and Ruan Mei rose as well.

“Let me introduce you. This is Ruan Mei, the public relations manager from Lion King. These are my teammates, Juno and Thomas.”

After the introductions, Lucio said with a smile, “To celebrate my championship, let’s go eat sweet-and-sour pork with pineapple tonight. My treat!”