141. The Graduation Prom

Dean smoothly hitched a ride back to Las Vegas. Suppressing the various auditory hallucinations buzzing like bees in his mind, he leaned back in the backseat, closed his eyes, and checked the system interface.

Claim Reward
Personal XP +150
Lv4 (30/500) → Lv4 (180/500)

You have killed all members of the Esper Clety team. Please select one special reward from the following:

A. Perk - Novice Psychokinesis:
Upon acquiring this perk, your thoughts and emotions will gain physical force, transforming into psychokinesis capable of interfering with reality. Psychokinesis will assist you in offense, defense, and manipulation of tangible and intangible objects, shaping and changing according to your will and imagination. Using psychokinesis continuously consumes mental energy.
The reality-interfering effect of psychokinesis is directly proportional to your Mental attribute and conversion efficiency, and is influenced by your emotions.
Note: Activating this perk requires a minimum of 20 Mental attribute points. If you choose this perk, you must raise your attribute to the baseline within one month, or the perk will vanish.

B. Enhancement - "Shadow of the Past":
When "Shadow" is upgraded next time, the system will substantially enhance its original psychokinetic powers.
Additionally, you will gain an extra 0.5 Willpower.

C. 100 Firearms Proficiency

D. 1 Free Attribute Point
……

Dean frowned tightly after reading the options.

Option A was very tempting.
Referring to Clety's performance in the previous battle, her psychokinetic barrier easily blocked rifle and heavy pistol fire, and even close-range grenade explosions, while also hanging Dean in the air for a one-sided beating.
Had it not been countered by spirit bullets, it would have been practically omnipotent.
However, Dean's current Mental attribute was only 17.6, and even adding the attribute points obtained from leveling up would not be enough to reach 20.
Even if he created a miracle and raised it to 20 points within a month, he would most likely suffer a mental breakdown directly.
……

"Rule out A." Dean pondered that both Clety and the drifter Taim possessed psychokinesis; clearly, this superpower was not rare, and there would be no shortage of opportunities to acquire it in the future.
"Once my mental attributes and willpower are both raised and a solid foundation is laid, I'll take the psychokinesis perk next time!"
……

Dean hesitated between B, C, and D.
Free attributes were certainly precious, and 100 firearms proficiency was equivalent to over two months of his bitter cultivation.
However, when "Shadow of the Past" was upgraded from Lv0 to Lv1, it had already gained psychokinesis in advance. In the previous battle with Clety, this psychokinetic force had helped Dean secure the game-changing M1900, and its importance was unquestionable.
It was just that the psychokinetic strength of Shadow of the Past fell far short of Clety's, amounting at most to the full strength of a ten-year-old child, and its manipulation lacked precision.
Choosing B meant that Shadow, currently at Lv1 (197/200), only needed three days of nurturing in the Ouija board to upgrade, receive enhancements, and patch the weakness of overly weak psychokinesis!
Dean's combat power would undoubtedly usher in a leap in improvement.
…

"B."
As the thought crossed Dean's mind,
Willpower: 13.5 → 14

A soothing coolness brushed across his mind. The tidal surges of various desires and the wild, runaway thoughts instantly grew slightly more docile, and the tinnitus subsided a little bit.
However, a splitting pain began at the back of his head again, feeling like knife cuts every dozen seconds or so.
"Hiss... I must find a way to control this."
……

At six-thirty in the evening, Dean returned to Las Vegas. After completing a Red Dragon Meditation, he drove the stretch Lincoln to Britney's house.
"Customers, the boutonnieres and corsages you ordered have arrived!"
"Good god, did it take all afternoon to buy flowers? Did you drive the car to Los Angeles, or were you kidnapped?" Jenny took the red roses from his hand, rolling her eyes in complaint. "We were almost about to call the police!"
"Ha, you guys haven't seen through the true nature of this fickle playboy," Baker threw an arm around Dean's shoulder. "I bet he spent the afternoon having fun with sexy little kittens at the shopping mall!"
Dean fiercely shoved a rose corsage against the chest of Baker's black suit, eliciting an ecstatic howl from the other man. "Ran into a minor trouble, but it's all resolved."
With that, he pulled Gretchen's left wrist and slipped the tulip wrist corsage onto it.
The girl wore exquisite, light makeup, her soft long hair draped over her shoulders. With fingers gleaming with black nail polish, she pinned an identical boutonniere on him, her blue eyes carefully studying his face.
"Why is your face so pale, and why did you change into a suit? Are you not feeling well?"
"You're seeing things, I'm as good as I'll ever be! Let's go!"
……

Seven o'clock in the evening.
The stretch Lincoln carried the lingering rays of the setting sun to a brilliantly lit basketball arena next to the state high school.
Outside the main entrance, a giant banner reading "Prom, Welcome" was strung up in midair. A red carpet was rolled out at the entrance, adorned with vibrant floral wreaths along the way, and the air surged with a rich fragrance.
The atmosphere was as lively as Christmas day.
Dressed-up students entered the gates in an endless stream. Besides graduating seniors, there were also underclassmen who looked very immature and green, with mischievous and restless behaviors.
There were also a very small number of middle-aged men and women, as well as white-haired elderly folks, walking into the prom arm-in-arm with their children.
Gretchen noticed his puzzlement and explained with a smile, "The school doesn't strictly require only twelfth-grade students to attend. As long as they are invited by a graduate, tenth or eleventh-graders can also enter the prom as dates."
"If you really can't invite an age-appropriate date from school, inviting your parents or grandparents to accompany you is also fine. As long as you aren't afraid of being laughed at by your classmates."
Dean nodded, pushed open the car door, and reached out his hand to Gretchen.
"Please, lady."
……

Gretchen's beautiful eyes rippled as she hooked her arm through his, walking along the red carpet into the hall.
Rust copied her, hooking his arm through Britney's. Baker and Jennifer laughed and followed behind, while Abby, wearing a pale white dance dress, stomped her foot and brought up the rear.
……

A blast of air conditioning rushed forward, banishing the outdoor mugginess.
Everyone passed through a dreamy archway built from colorful balloons, with strings of colored lights dangling from all over the ceiling.
Gorgeous curtains, silvery wallpaper, and exquisite, cute prop trees together constructed a miniature castle.
Countless young men and women gathered in every corner of the castle, showing off their new clothes and newly styled bold haircuts to their peers, bragging about how handsome or beautiful their dates were.
In the center of the castle, under a dance pavilion built from crystal curtains, another passionate group of people were dancing to the upbeat music on the broadcast.
Some couples stepped and swung their arms joyfully face-to-face, some groups of friends spun around connected head-to-tail, and others nimbly roamed the dance floor alone, stopping to playfully put their hands on their hips and tease a few words whenever they encountered a pretty girl with flowing long hair.
To Dean, their dancing was completely devoid of form or method, but all of them were enjoying it immensely.
The streams of colored lights hanging from the ceiling illuminated sweaty faces, bearing unrestrained smiles, with steam rising from their hair.
Infected by this joyful and vibrant atmosphere, the stabbing pain and auditory hallucinations at the back of Dean's head slightly receded.
"Hi, Dean, Gretchen..." A voice came over, interrupting his emotions. The female principal sitting at the beverage station to the right of the balloon archway waved at them.
"Good evening, Ms. Lanz, what's all in here?" A group of people walked over.
"Juice, soda... mixed drinks, don't worry, no alcohol added," Lanz smiled gently as she poured a few cups of grape juice from a barrel. "Try it."
"Mmm, tastes better than the school cafeteria juice..." Baker and Jennifer clinked their cups in a "arm-linked drink" gesture and smacked their lips.
"There are also snacks over there, chicken skewers, steak... You need to replenish your energy before dancing." Lanz winked at the group.
"Ha, then we won't be polite!"
……

The famished group headed toward the food tables. The principal called out to Dean, full of appreciation and expectation.
"You know, out of all the kids in our school, you're my favorite."
"You flatter me, there are plenty of people better than me." Dean shook his head casually.
The principal adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose. "My judgment of people is very accurate. You will definitely be the most outstanding student at Nevada State High School in the future, accomplishing a world-shaking, magnificent feat. So when you make something of yourself, don't forget your alma mater."
"May your words come true." Dean picked up a cup of soda, chugged it in one go, grinned, and tapped his head.
"Go on, kid, make the girls go crazy for you!"
……

"Hi, Dean."
A lively voice halted Dean's footsteps.
The moment he turned around, he saw an Asian girl in a white princess dress, dressed like an exquisite porcelain doll, smiling sweetly at him.
"I'm Tonya, do you remember? You helped me several times."
"Mmm, a bit of an impression?"
"Can you take a picture with us, as a souvenir before graduation?"
The girl tucked a lock of black hair behind her ear, her pretty face dyed with a flush of bashfulness and nervousness.
On the left side of the dance floor behind her, behind a tripod-mounted camera, a group of peers with sparkling eyes were looking over this way.
Before Dean could answer, a dozen cute teenage girls swarmed over, pulling and dragging him over to the camera.
Flash, flash, the flashes kept going.
The girls wrapped their arms around him without any sense of restraint, chests pressed close, and some even draped their long legs over him for a big group photo, and then passionately pestered him to start taking individual photos one by one.
With a mechanical smile, Dean was forced to transform into a mascot and an automatic pose rack, cooperating with the photos.
They took dozens of shots in total, changing into countless poses.
He finally found the right opportunity to push away pink fists and jade legs and slip away!
"Hey, kung fu master, don't run!" A tall, long-legged Black guy rubbed his nose. "Let's take a photo with a classic pose."
Click!
The photo was frozen in time.
The Black guy let out a weird yell and delivered a flying kick. Dean stood opposite him, shaking his finger slightly with a look of Bruce Lee-esque arrogance and disdain on his face.
After this shot—
The originally impassionate and dynamic music suddenly changed, becoming lyrical and gentle, like a feather drifting into the heart.
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Couples dance time!
Excited teenagers and young women stepped onto the dance floor hand in hand.
"Britney?" Rust took a deep breath, tidying his collar as he looked at the blushing apple-like face beside him. "Pretty good, huh? Do you want to... you know... just you and me."
"Speak louder, I can't hear you." Britney looked at him expectantly.
"I said... May I invite you to dance?!"
"I've been waiting for you to say that, dummy!" Britney grabbed him and rushed into the dance floor.
"Let's go, Jenny?" Baker by the food table wiped the cream from the corner of his mouth, snatched the ice cream right out of his girlfriend's hands, and gazed at her affectionately.
"If you dare step on my feet this time, you're dead!" Jenny wrapped her arms around Baker's waist and began a slow sway.
"Your posing is getting quite practiced," Gretchen in a black dress approached behind Dean at some point, arms crossed and teasing, "How does it feel to be surrounded by beauties?"
"Don't get me wrong, graduation is coming up, everyone wanted to take pictures with me as a souvenir, I couldn't just heartlessly refuse?" Dean cleared his throat, though the corners of his mouth couldn't help curling up slightly. Whether due to the music or not, the tinnitus eased once again.
……

"Come with me!" Gretchen grabbed his arm without a word, pulled him into the dance floor, and looped her hands over his shoulders, wrapping them around his neck.
Dean's hands wrapped around her slender waist, feeling the warm, silk-like touch.
The two of them swayed their feet left and right to the soothing music. The complex dance techniques they had spent a lot of time practicing earlier didn't come into play at all; they simply blended into the rhythm of the music following the feelings of their bodies.
Every move you make
I'll be watching you
Gazing straight into each other's eyes, their cheeks slowly drew closer.
At this moment, the affection and sweetness in Gretchen's lake-like light-blue eyes seemed to contain magical power, acting as a wondrous remedy.
It instantly healed Dean's previously abnormally manic inner self and smoothed out his chaotic thoughts.
The rampaging illusions in Dean's mind vanished without a trace at this moment, and the tinnitus and nerve pain almost completely disappeared.
Disregarding the future or anything else, he pressed his lips against those petal-soft lips.
Not far away on the dance floor, Rust and Britney, Jenny and Baker, and dozens of other couples also quietly lowered their heads...
Lights and swaying bodies made everyone feel as though they were floating leisurely on the clouds.
I'll be watching you
I'll be watching you
Eternity in the music right now.
After a song—
The young people in the dance hall gently parted, smiling at each other, pressing foreheads together to enjoy the lingering warmth.
Dean's gaze crossed Gretchen's flushed face and shoulders, and suddenly froze.
"What's wrong?"
Gretchen turned around, following his line of sight.
A skinny girl in a pale white dance dress walked up to a handsome boy with slicked-back hair, gently pinched the corner of her skirt, and smiled shyly.
"Sven, would it be convenient for us to dance a song together?"
"Sorry, I want to take a break," the boy declined tactfully.
The girl clenched her fists to cheer herself on, then quickly walked through the bustling crowd, finding another bespectacled, bookish little boy who was chatting with some classmates. She forced a sincere smile, her hands adorned with the tulip wrist corsage twisting together into a knot.
"Pal, is it convenient?"
The boy looked her up and down from head to toe, shook his head, and said,
"Sorry, I have to accompany my girlfriend."
With that, he pulled his friend away, spreading his hands with an exaggerated tone of exclamation, "Man, did you hear that?"
The girl froze in place, looking around blankly and helplessly at the princes and princesses in this castle. For a long time, she walked alone to the steps at the very edge of the venue and sat down, feeling an unprecedented loneliness, feeling as though she were a humble, earthy servant, completely out of place with her surroundings.
"Abby, no matter how hard you try, nothing ever changes, no one cares about you."
Abby sniffed, and this action acted like a signal. Boundless bitterness welled up, and she covered her face tightly with both hands, a trembling sob escaping her throat.
"Hey..."
Out of nowhere, a voice sounded.
"Wanna dance? Beautiful lady."
"What did you say?"
Abby was startled, looking up to see the man in front of her standing with his feet in a V-shape, bowing slightly, his right arm curved forward and extended toward her.
"Dean, aren't you going to stay with Gretchen?" Abby hurriedly wiped the corners of her eyes.
"Come on, let's go!"
Dean pulled her hand and entered the dance floor.
Abby looked around blankly with reddened eye sockets, and then her body stiffened as the man's hands wrapped tightly around her waist. His scorching palms seemed to possess magic, making her instinctively wrap her arms around his neck and gently sway her feet to the music.
"Relax, Abby, feel the music, the rhythm, just like we practiced." Dean looked into her eyes with a smile, his gaze full of appreciation and encouragement.
Abby suddenly felt her heart flutter, a warm current welling up from her heart, flowing past her neck and flushing her face.
"Yes, just sway like this, very good, you're dancing wonderfully."
"Really?"
"Cross my heart! Be more confident, Abby, you look gorgeous right now."
"But why did no one invite me, or even want to accept my invitation?"
"Boys at this age are all shallow, they all possess a clear-cut foolishness, but in a few years they'll smarten up and go crazy for you."
"Even though that's a lie, I feel a lot better... Dean, you're a good guy." Abby buried her face in his chest, her cheeks flushed, and she squinted like a kitten. "Let me lean on you for a bit."
Dean gently stroked Abby's soft hair, his gaze meeting Gretchen's understanding and gratified eyes in the distance.
An insight dawned in his heart.
This world held more than just superpowers, monsters, battles, and death.
There were also other things: ordinary people, friends, and companions.
The hearts of ordinary people were also extremely precious and worth cherishing.
At this moment, that annoying tinnitus and nerve pain finally vanished completely.
*(Author's Note: I'm very sorry, I recently caught COVID for the second time. My head throbs every few seconds, driving me crazy, especially when thinking—it hurts so much I want to die, so the updates haven't been coming out.)*
*(During this period, I'll temporarily post one chapter a day. Once I recover, I'll return to regular updates.)*
*(End of Chapter)*