Dorm Brothers, Chen Dahu

The night was as dark as ink, the wilderness wind carrying a scent of blood.

Lin Fan knelt on one knee, his short knife thrust into the dirt to support his body. He panted heavily, sweat and blood mingling as they dripped from his brow.

Around him, three Wind Wolf corpses lay sprawled across the ground. Blood stained the weeds, and a thick, pungent odor filled the air.

The battle was over, but victory had come at a brutal cost.

After blinding the first Wind Wolf, Lin Fan had thought he could quickly finish off the other two. But reality proved he had underestimated the ferocity and coordination of demonic beasts.

The remaining two wolves didn't retreat after their companion's death; instead, they launched an even more frenzied assault. They attacked from left and right, alternating their lunges, leaving seven or eight wounds on Lin Fan's body with their fangs and claws.

The most dangerous moment came when one wolf's claws nearly slashed open Lin Fan's throat. He barely twisted aside in time, only to receive a gash on his shoulder so deep it exposed the bone.

But battle was always the fastest path to growth.

On the Status Panel, a series of prompts flickered:

[Basic Footwork Proficiency +15] [Basic Fist Technique Proficiency +12] [Killed 1st Tier Demonic Beast Wind Wolf, Combat Experience +2] [Killed 1st Tier Demonic Beast Wind Wolf, Combat Experience +2] [Killed 1st Tier Demonic Beast Wind Wolf, Combat Experience +2] [Cross-tier battle (1st Rank vs 1st Rank Peak), Proficiency gain efficiency increased by 50%]

Just three Wind Wolves had brought nearly 30 points of proficiency growth—ten times the efficiency of normal practice.

More importantly, Lin Fan had gained a new understanding of combat.

Wind Wolves weren't puppets or wooden stakes; they were living creatures that thought, coordinated, and fought for their lives. Every lunge carried killing intent, every bite aimed for a vital spot.

This pressure between life and death pushed Lin Fan to use [Basic Footwork] and [Basic Fist Technique] to an unprecedented degree.

"Cough... cough..." Lin Fan coughed up a mouthful of bloody foam.

He checked his injuries.

The worst was the gash on his shoulder, deep enough to show bone, still bleeding profusely. Next were three claw marks on his left arm—shallow but long. There were also a few minor cuts on his calf and back.

Fortunately, nothing had damaged his bones or tendons; they were all flesh wounds.

"I need to treat these wounds quickly." Lin Fan tore off the hem of his shirt and bandaged the shoulder injury simply.

Then he began handling the spoils.

Following the methods in the Common Demonic Beast Illustrated Guide, Lin Fan carefully cut open the Wind Wolf corpses with his short knife and extracted the demonic cores.

Three gray crystals, each the size of a pigeon egg, cool to the touch, containing a faint trace of wind-attribute Origin Energy.

"So these are demonic cores..." Lin Fan examined them closely.

This was his first time personally harvesting materials from a demonic beast. Back in the Slum District, he had only assisted temporary hunting teams as a helper, never qualified to handle the spoils.

Besides the demonic cores, the Wind Wolves' fur, teeth, and claws were also materials. But without proper tools, Lin Fan could only roughly skin the most valuable back pelts and cut out four of the sharpest fangs.

By the time he finished, the sky was completely dark.

The wilderness night was more dangerous than he had imagined. From the distant mountains came the roars of various demonic beasts—wolf howls, tiger growls, and the eerie cries of unknown creatures.

Lin Fan didn't dare linger. He wrapped the spoils in wolf hide and hurried back to the academy.

Building 7, Room 203, East District.

When Lin Fan pushed open the door, everyone in the dorm was startled.

"Brother Fan!" Chen Dahu rushed over first, his face turning pale at the sight of Lin Fan covered in blood. "How did you get hurt this badly? Did you run into trouble?"

Zhou Ming and Zhao Tie Zhu also gathered around.

"It's nothing, just flesh wounds." Lin Fan placed the bundle on the table. "Get me some clean water and fresh cloth strips."

"I'll get the water!" Zhao Tie Zhu ran out of the dorm.

Zhou Ming pulled a small medical kit from his cabinet. "I've got some Hemostatic Powder here. It's not great, but it's better than nothing."

Soon, Zhao Tie Zhu returned with a basin of clean water.

Lin Fan took off his bloodstained coat, revealing crisscrossing wounds all over his body. The most shocking was the claw wound on his shoulder—flesh turned outward, blood still seeping slowly.

"My god..." Zhou Ming gasped. "What did you run into?"

"Three Wind Wolves," Lin Fan said calmly, beginning to clean his wounds.

When the clean water touched the injuries, a sharp pain shot through him. But Lin Fan only furrowed his brow, his movements never faltering.

Chen Dahu watched with a pounding heart. "Brother Fan, can't you be more careful? It's only the first day, and you're already this banged up..."

"There's no fighting without getting hurt," Lin Fan said flatly. "And it was worth it."

He pointed at the bundle on the table. "Three First-order Demonic Cores, three Wind Wolf back pelts, twelve fangs. Just the cores alone can sell for 30 Academic Credits. With the other materials, the total value is at least 50 Credits."

"50 Credits!" Zhao Tie Zhu's eyes went wide. "That's enough to feed me for half a month!"

Zhou Ming looked thoughtful. "But you nearly got yourself killed. Brother Fan, I know you're strong, but next time, team up. More people means more backup."

Lin Fan did not answer.

He knew Zhou Ming was right. But forming a team meant splitting the spoils, looking after teammates, coordinating tactics... all of which would affect efficiency.

Besides, he had the system.

As long as he didn't die, getting injured was actually a catalyst for faster growth.

"By the way, this is for you." Chen Dahu suddenly dragged a wooden box out from under his bed. Opening it revealed all kinds of bottles and jars.

He rummaged for a moment and pulled out a small green porcelain bottle. "This is the 'Golden Wound Ointment' my father gave me. It's a trauma medicine used by hunting groups, much better than what the academy sells."

"No need. I have academic credits to buy medicine." Lin Fan shook his head.

"Buy what!" Chen Dahu ignored him and opened the bottle. "My father said I should make more friends at the academy. You ranked first in the assessment. Being friends with you is my gain."

The porcelain bottle held a light green ointment that gave off a cool, medicinal fragrance.

Chen Dahu carefully applied the ointment to Lin Fan's wounds. As soon as it touched his skin, a refreshing coolness spread through him, and the pain eased by more than half.

"This medicine..." Lin Fan was somewhat surprised.

The effect was too good—better than any wound medicine he had seen in the Slum District.

"Hunting groups make a living in the Wilderness. Getting hurt is just part of the routine." Chen Dahu spoke while applying the ointment. "That's why we take wound medicine very seriously. This Golden Wound Ointment's recipe came from an old physician my father knows. It not only stops bleeding and regenerates flesh but also removes Demonic Beast toxins."

"Thank you." Lin Fan said sincerely.

"For what?" Chen Dahu gave a simple, honest smile. "We're roommates. We'll have to look out for each other from now on."

After treating the wounds, the night had grown deep.

Zhou Ming and Zhao Tie Zhu had already fallen asleep one after another, leaving only Lin Fan and Chen Dahu still awake in the dormitory.

The two sat by the window, talking quietly in the moonlight.

"Dahu, your father is the leader of a hunting group. Why didn't you get into the Genius Class?" Lin Fan asked the question that had been bothering him.

Given Chen Dahu's family background and foundation, even if his talent was ordinary, he should have been able to rely on resources to squeeze into the Genius Class.

Chen Dahu was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "My father wouldn't let me."

"Why?"

"He said the Genius Class is too comfortable." Chen Dahu looked out the window. "Living in villas, using Spirit Gathering Arrays, eating the best pills... Those aristocratic kids do improve quickly, but they're missing one thing."

"What thing?"

"Wildness." Chen Dahu said seriously. "My father says real martial artists aren't raised in greenhouses. You have to struggle in the Wilderness, see blood, go through life and death, to truly forge real skill."

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Lin Fan's heart stirred.

These words were exactly the same as what Old Man Li and Chen Dashan had said.

"So your father made you come to the Regular Class?"

"Mm." Chen Dahu nodded. "He said that although the Regular Class has fewer resources, it's closer to the real world. Here, I have to fight for resources myself, face competition on my own, and solve my own problems."

He paused, a little embarrassed. "But my talent really is average. I've been training in martial arts for five years, and I'm only at the early 1st Grade now. I almost failed the assessment."

"But your foundation is very solid." Lin Fan said.

During his observations at the Training Ground today, Lin Fan had noticed. Chen Dahu's fist techniques and footwork weren't particularly exquisite, but every movement was extremely standard, and his power delivery was very scientific. This was a level that could only be achieved through long-term systematic training.

"It's all because my father pushed me." Chen Dahu scratched his head. "Starting from when I was ten, I had to get up before dawn every day to train. Horse stance, hitting wooden posts, weighted runs... If I slacked off even a little, I'd get a lash."

"A strict master produces outstanding students."

"But my father says I'll at most be a 2nd Grade Martial Artist." A trace of disappointment flashed in Chen Dahu's eyes. "He says my Bone Structure is ordinary and my comprehension is average. The best I can hope for in this life is to reach 3rd Grade Martial Master."

Lin Fan looked at this simple, honest youth and suddenly asked, "Then are you willing to accept that?"

Chen Dahu was stunned for a moment, then shook his head forcefully. "No! My father is the leader of the Thunder Hunting Group. Back in the day, he was a renowned figure in the Wilderness. I want to become a martial artist like him, to rebuild the hunting group, to..."

His voice dropped. "To make my father proud of me."

In the moonlight, flames burned in the eyes of this sturdy, broad-shouldered youth.

Lin Fan fell silent.

He thought of his own Previous Life on Earth, where he had also been an Ordinary Person. A 996 programmer, staring at a computer screen every day typing code, dreaming of one day making something of himself, only to die from overwork at his desk.

Transmigrating to this world, he had the system, he had a chance to grow stronger.

But Chen Dahu didn't.

This world was even crueler to ordinary people. Without talent, without background, without lucky encounters, one might struggle at the bottom for an entire lifetime.

"Dahu." Lin Fan suddenly spoke. "Do you want to become stronger?"

"Of course I do!" Chen Dahu answered without hesitation.

"Then I'll help you." Lin Fan said calmly. "Starting tomorrow, you train with me. Whatever I train, you train. However long I train, you train."

Chen Dahu was stunned: "Brother Fan, you..."

"But it will be very hard." Lin Fan looked at him. "Ten times, a hundred times harder than what you're doing now. You might get hurt, you might be too exhausted to get up, you might want to give up."

Chen Dahu took a deep breath, straightened his back: "I'm not afraid of hardship! My dad said, there's no martial arts training without hardship!"

"Alright then." Lin Fan nodded. "Tomorrow morning at five, see you at the training ground."

"Yes!" Chen Dahu replied excitedly.

Night deepened.

After Chen Dahu had gone to sleep, Lin Fan sat alone by the window and called up his status panel.

Today's battle had yielded substantial gains:

[Basic Fist Technique: Mastery Level (1956/5000)] +33

[Basic Footwork: Mastery Level (1523/5000)] +67

[Basic Breathing Technique: Mastery Level (1189/5000)] +66 (Origin Energy consumption and recovery during combat)

[Combat Experience: 53] +6

[New Skill: Short Blade Usage (Beginner 12/100)]

During the fight, Short Blade Usage proficiency had grown naturally. Though still at the beginner level, at least he had a foundation.

At this rate, if he could fight like this every day, [Basic Fist Technique] would break through to Minor Accomplishment within a month.

But Lin Fan knew that was impossible.

First, his body couldn't take it. Today, just three Wind Wolves had left him this badly injured. If he fought like this every day, he'd eventually lose his life.

Second, Academy Missions were limited. Missions like the Wind Wolf one weren't available every day, and taking too many would draw attention.

"I need to think of another way..." Lin Fan pondered.

Just then, he noticed a faint glow flickering at the bottom of the panel.

Focusing on it, he saw a line of small text:

[Detected host completing first Demonic Beast kill mission. Task System activating...]

[Activation progress: 1%... 2%...]

Task System?

Lin Fan's heart stirred.

According to the system settings, the Task System should officially activate in the second volume. But now, it seemed to have triggered early.

Was it because he had taken on combat missions ahead of schedule?

[Activation progress: 10%... 20%...]

The glow grew slowly, but the pace was sluggish. At this rate, it would take at least a few days to fully activate.

"That's fine." Lin Fan closed the panel. "One more function means one more path to grow stronger."

He looked out at the night sky.

The stars were sparse, the moonlight cold.

This world was vast, dangerous, but also full of opportunity.

With the system in hand, with the perseverance of a "grinder," with a reason he had to grow stronger—

Lin Fan believed that given enough time, he could reach the peak of martial arts.

But time... that was precisely the most extravagant thing.

His sister's illness needed money, his own training needed resources, and the enemies ahead were growing stronger...

"I need to speed up," Lin Fan murmured to himself.

He decided that starting tomorrow, he wouldn't just train himself to the bone—he would drag Chen Dahu along too.

One more person meant one more share of strength. And Chen Dahu was honest, loyal, and worth developing.

More importantly, Lin Fan saw in Chen Dahu a version of his former self—an ordinary person who longed to grow stronger but lacked talent.

He wanted to see, if he gave such an ordinary person the best training methods and the most relentless training attitude, how far could he go?

This was both a help to Chen Dahu and a test for himself.

If even Chen Dahu could grow stronger under his guidance, then the system's value far exceeded imagination.

Night deepened.

Lin Fan lay back on the bed, closed his eyes, and rested.

His wounds still ached faintly, but his mind was clear.

Tomorrow, a new beginning.

Not just training himself, but bringing his brother along to train together.

This path—perhaps it would take him even further.

The dormitory was filled with the sound of even breathing.

Moonlight streamed through the window, spilling over the four youths.

They came from different backgrounds, possessed different talents, and harbored different dreams.

But tonight, the crossroads of fate had already appeared.

The road ahead was still long, but at least they were no longer alone.