Martial Monk

Jiang Ran listened to the words echoing in his ears.

His heartbeat could not help but slowly accelerate.

As expected, the existence of these monsters was not entirely without meaning.

And then there were the prompts on this panel...

Class advancement, class fusion—these were realms he had never encountered before.

The class panel was truly not as simple as he had imagined.

Jiang Ran steadied his breathing.

He forced himself to calm down first, rather than immediately selecting "Yes."

Instead, he stood up, gripped his tactical knife, and patrolled the interior of the bank once more.

After confirming that there were no other living things in the entire bank space besides himself, Jiang Ran returned to the rolling shutter door and tilted his head to listen to the movements outside.

Five minutes passed.

Except for a few vague hisses occasionally drifting from afar, the street remained terrifyingly quiet.

"It's safe for now."

Only then did Jiang Ran return to the workspace behind the bulletproof glass, sitting down with his back against the thickest wall.

This position allowed him to see the door leading to the inner corridor while also observing the lobby through the bulletproof glass; it was a standard defensive position.

He took a deep breath and gripped the bead in his palm.

Within his consciousness, that selection prompt surfaced once again.

"Yes."

Jiang Ran recited silently in his heart.

The moment he made his choice...

The bead in his palm suddenly became scorching hot.

A stream of burning air flowed backward up his arm, rushing toward his limbs and bones with the force of a bamboo being split.

Jiang Ran let out a muffled groan, his entire body's muscles instantly tensing.

Crack... crack...

Dense sounds of bones shifting came from within his body.

At the same time, a voice echoed in his mind.

"The dragon follows the clouds, the tiger follows the wind..."

"The dragon form trains the spirit, the tiger form trains the bones; where dragon and tiger meet..."

"Before the fist is thrown, the intent arrives. Before the power is unleashed, the momentum is already set..."

"Sinews and bones are the roots, qi and blood are the fuel, will is the fire... Today, I bestow upon you the Dragon-Tiger Fist!"

When the final syllable fell.

That scorching sensation receded like a tide.

Jiang Ran slowly opened his eyes.

The world before him seemed to have been wiped clean.

The light was clearer, and some subtle sounds he could not hear before now drilled into his eardrums as if amplified.

Jiang Ran subconsciously clenched his fist.

His knuckles popped with a crisp sound, and his arms, shoulders, waist, abdomen, and even the muscle bundles in his legs transmitted a sense of fullness and density he had never felt before.

He had become stronger.

And by no small margin.

Jiang Ran roughly estimated that his pure physical strength and five senses had improved by at least thirty to forty percent.

Within the system of the class panel, this would likely require leveling up Free Combat and other fighting styles by two or three levels, combined with long-term high-intensity training, to achieve.

Before he could carefully savor this transformation.

In the upper right of his vision, a pale blue translucent panel popped up automatically.

[Congratulations on successfully unlocking the "Martial Monk" (Transcendental) class]

[Congratulations on obtaining the basic class skill "Dragon-Tiger Fist"]

Jiang Ran immediately focused all his attention on the newly appeared class panel.

[Class: Martial Monk Lv.1 (0/100)]

[Basic Class Skill: Dragon-Tiger Fist Lv.1 (0/100)]

Below the panel, there were several slots that remained gray and locked.

"Does it require career points to unlock..."

This was different from the ordinary professions he had encountered before.

However, that was not much of a problem.

The Psychology skill for his Teacher profession would reach max level soon; it would naturally unlock within two days.

With that, Jiang Ran fixed his gaze on the Dragon-Tiger Fist.

This inherited divine ability felt as if it were an instinct of his own body.

It felt as though he had tempered it a thousand times over.

As long as he willed it, he could execute it.

Jiang Ran stood up. Without needing to deliberately strike a pose, his feet naturally parted, and his center of gravity sank.

He slowly drew a breath, his lungs expanding.

He faintly felt a trace of weak warmth gathering in his lower abdomen.

His right fist, following the twist of his waist, slowly extended from beneath his ribs.

At first, it was extremely slow, as if pushing through viscous lake water.

But the moment his fist was about to straighten, his waist and hips suddenly exerted force, his spine rippled like a great dragon, and his shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints popped with a series of explosions!

A roar of a dragon and a howl of a tiger erupted in the air where his fist was pointed!

The fist had not struck any physical object.

Yet, a meter away, the dust on the surface of an office desk suddenly blasted outward in a ring.

This power...

Jiang Ran felt that if this punch had landed on that monster from earlier.

He wouldn't have needed a gun at all.

This was true transcendence!!

However, before Jiang Ran could even get excited, a sense of weakness washed over his body.

It was similar to the hollow exhaustion of glycogen depletion after intense exercise, and a subtle soreness spread through his limbs and bones.

"Is it consuming... some kind of energy?"

Jiang Ran stopped immediately, pondering slightly.

"It seems there must be things like cultivation techniques in this world..."

This was just like being a mixed martial artist.

Boxing, jiu-jitsu, and taekwondo were merely techniques for close-quarters combat.

They had some effect on strengthening the body, but very little.

If he truly wanted to increase his physical strength.

He would have to rely on the system's physical training.

However, Jiang Ran did not intend to set off right now.

When he obtained the Abyssal Void entry ticket, his mind had been in a state of extreme agitation.

Now that several hours had passed, and he had gone through two life-or-death battles.

His condition was at its absolute worst.

He needed to rest.

Thus, Jiang Ran found a corner in the lounge area where there was a long sofa, backed against a solid wall, with a view that could cover the entire entrance to the lounge.

He took compressed biscuits and water from his backpack, ate them in small bites, and then placed his tactical knife within arm's reach.

Finally, he glanced at the time on his phone.

3:47 AM.

There were still a few hours until dawn, and about twenty hours until his return.

Jiang Ran closed his eyes and began to enter a state of light sleep.

When he opened his eyes again.

The phone screen displayed 9:03 AM.

Jiang Ran took five seconds to fully wake up, then quickly checked his surroundings.

No changes; it was safe.

The countdown to his return showed 14 hours and 57 minutes.

Jiang Ran's original plan had been to use the bank as a base and slowly explore the surroundings.

But plans could not keep up with changes.

Now that his physical fitness had greatly increased, and he possessed an extraordinary means like the Dragon-Tiger Fist.

There were many ideas to put into practice and many hypotheses to verify.

With that, he chewed through half a compressed biscuit and took a few sips of water.

Jiang Ran stood up and packed his gear.

He then found a bag inside the bank and used his tactical knife to cut off the most distinct parts of the monster to store inside.

Afterward, he shouldered his backpack and walked to the rolling shutter door.

He tilted his head to listen for half a minute, and after confirming there was no movement outside, Jiang Ran gently pulled up the shutter, slipped out sideways, and restored the lock from the outside.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting down upon the street where the glass of several shops lay shattered.

Dark red, dried stains could be seen on the ground here and there.

Clearly, the outside world had not been as peaceful last night as it had sounded.

Just as Jiang Ran was planning to leave, however.

Vroom...!!

From the end of the distant street, the roar of a car engine suddenly erupted.

Jiang Ran froze, almost thinking he had misheard.

Who would dare to drive so blatantly here!?

Whose subordinate is this!?

Without a moment's hesitation, he retreated into a narrow alley beside the bank.

Soon, a Mazda drifted around the street corner and sped toward his direction.

The driver's side window was rolled down, and the person inside was screaming.

"Help... me!! Help!!!"

But something even more terrifying was behind it.

Trailing the Mazda, several gray-black shadows were in hot pursuit.

Their speed was barely any slower than the car.

"They're done for."

Jiang Ran made an immediate judgment.

Being targeted by that many monsters at that speed, the car losing control was only a matter of time.

He calmly pulled his body further back, preparing to wait for this farcical chase to pass before continuing with his own plans.

However, as the Mazda streaked past the alley where Jiang Ran was hiding.

The man in the driver's seat, whether by intuition or some other reason, happened to turn his head and look toward the alley.

Inside the alley, Jiang Ran happened to be looking at him as well.

Their eyes met.

Immediately after, the man in the driver's seat wore a look of wild ecstasy.

"Brother, it's me! Save me, brother!! I beg you!! I've got good stuff here!!"

The voice was stretched thin by the wind, fading rapidly as the car sped away.

Jiang Ran stood where he was, a strange expression appearing on his face.

He recognized him.

That genius who was speeding away with a trail of monsters behind him was none other than Liu San, the man he had tied up at the police station last night.

One had to admit, this grave robber's mental fortitude and ability to stir up trouble were truly top-tier.

Only a few hours had passed, and not only had he broken free, but he had also managed to get a car.

And, as a bonus, he had attracted such a massive wave of aggro.

Jiang Ran shook his head, casting that trace of surprise to the back of his mind.

He had no interest in the "good stuff" Liu San mentioned.

After all, no matter how good the loot was, one had to be alive to take it.

Saving him would not only mean facing a dozen monsters, but also having to watch out for a backstab from Liu San...

That would be purely adding unnecessary pressure on himself.

Jiang Ran waited patiently for a few minutes, and after confirming there were no monsters left, he turned decisively and left quickly along the other end of the alley.

His destination this time was a sports equipment store not far from the bank.

However, the equipment this store sold was rather unique, covering everything from compound bows to knives.

He had bought gear there once when he was learning archery.

After last night's battle, Jiang Ran had come to an understanding.

Unless it was a large-caliber automatic rifle or a sniper rifle, handguns and similar firearms were less effective against the monsters than a compound bow.

At the very least, the piercing power and stopping force of a bow and arrow might prove exceptionally effective against these thick-skinned monsters.

Furthermore, it was relatively quiet.

It wouldn't easily attract more trouble like the sound of gunfire would.

Coupled with the fact that Dragon-Tiger Fist could not yet be used as a daily combat method, having some handy weapons would be much safer.

Ten-odd minutes later, Jiang Ran arrived at his destination.

He first grabbed a black compound bow with a draw weight reaching 156 pounds.

Jiang Ran took it down to test the feel; in the past, even drawing it would have been an arduous task, but now, he could pull it back with his thumb alone without any pressure.

Next, he prepared the quiver and other necessary materials.

He then turned and walked toward the sword display area on the other side, selecting a Tang Dao for mid-range slashing.

That was enough.

Carrying anything else would only hinder his mobility.

With the compound bow slung across his back and the quiver hung at a convenient position on his waist, he was set.

He secured the Tang Dao diagonally across his back with paracord, and Jiang Ran retreated, feeling satisfied.

He carefully restored the door lock from the outside.

However, just as he finished fastening the lock and straightened his back...

Vroom!!!

The familiar roar of a car engine approached from afar once again.

Jiang Ran couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

This guy... is he a cockroach?

He actually wasn't dead yet, and he managed to circle back around!?

This time, Liu San spotted Jiang Ran from a great distance.

He stuck his head directly out of the window and shouted excitedly at Jiang Ran, "Brother, this is for you!! It's really good stuff, save me, I beg you!!"

As he spoke, Liu San threw the white orb of light in his hand directly toward Jiang Ran.

Seeing this, Jiang Ran raised the bow in his hand with an expressionless face, nocked an arrow...

And aimed at the vehicle.