Lin Fang collapsed backwards into bed with the exhaustion finally catching up to him. He stared at the ceiling blankly, then muttered under his breath, "So… let's break this down."
He raised fingers lazily, one after another, as if counting in the air.
"One: Each habitat has a guardian…"
"Two: To defeat the guardian, we need a trial weapon. And that weapon hidden somewhere that can help defeat it."
"Three: That weapon is always a replica, only usable inside that specific world."
"Four: The real version comes only if I beat the guardian."
"Five: The guardian might change until I claim the trial weapon."
He couldn't help but groan and turn on his side, covering his face with one hand. "I guess I should ask Li Chengfeng to teach me sword arts. Just swinging the sword blindly is not enough. I need to learn the basics first."
As his eyes involuntarily captured the time on the wall clock, showing 3:47 a.m., "Anyway, it's already too late. Let's sleep for now and think about it later."
Meanwhile, Black had shifted from the other side of the bed and slowly climbed to Lin Fang's stomach, snuggling in tightly like a kitten instead of a wolf.
Lin Fang threw away whatever thoughts were running through his head and smiled faintly, caressing its fur. "Let's do whatever we can."
The next day;
At dawn, Lin Fang stepped out of the apartment complex, clad in his joggers, with a water bottle in hand. Standing there, he had a phone in his hand, browsing the map.
As he was too busy looking for the gym, the door creaked open behind him.
Out came Zhi Yan, also in joggers and wearing a lightweight jacket. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and a pair of wireless earbuds slung around her neck. She paused upon seeing him. "Oh? Morning run?" she asked with a curious smile.
"Something like that," Lin Fang said with a nod. "I'm planning to join a boxing gym today. Figured I should have some last-minute training."
Zhi Yan raised a brow. "Boxing?"
"Basic hand-to-hand, stamina, reflexes… Seems like the most practical thing to learn in a short time," Lin Fang replied.
"Good idea," she said with a nod. Then she smiled wider. "Lucky for you, I just happen to know the perfect place."
Lin Fang blinked. "You do?"
She turned toward the sidewalk and gestured. "Let's jog. I'll take you there."
"How far is it?"
"Not too far."
Roughly, one and a half hours later…
Lin Fang looked like he had crawled out of a storm drain. His hoodie was clinging to him from sweat, and his face was flushed red from the morning sun and the calorie burn.
Beside him, Zhi Yan jogged with steady breaths, as if the past eight kilometers had been nothing but a light warm-up for her.
"Classmate Lin?" she asked sweetly, glancing over her shoulder. "You okay back there?"
Lin Fang stumbled forward a bit, half-jogging and half-dragging his feet. "When are we getting there? I ran like 8 kilometers. I never ran this much in my life. My soul is about to leave my body…"
"We're close."
"You said that five kilometers ago, and then two kilometers ago too…"
"This time it's true."
"C'mon…" She came to him and grabbed his arm. "Let's go. You ran so much. We are just so close now."
Lin Fang glared but nodded. "Alright."
A final kilometer later, they came to a stop in front of a modest two-story building tucked between taller commercial complexes. The words "Stoneguard Boxing & Combat Fitness" were stenciled across the front wall in thick white paint.
Zhi Yan finally turned to him with a triumphant grin, stopping the jog. Her body and clothes were sweating just the same as Lin Fang but she looked completely normal. "We are here."
Lin Fang dropped to the pavement like a man defeated by destiny. "Ugh… I wanna go home… Classmate Zhi… Sister Zhi, please call a cab for me."
She stood over him with her hands on her hips. "You need at least this much stamina just to last through the Hunter Examination, if you want a Tamer Certificate."
"Ok. That got me." Lin Fang forced himself to stand up slowly and walked to the gym. "Let's go."
After signing up at the reception and filling out a short digital form, Lin Fang followed Zhi Yan toward the boxing ring. Inside the ring was a guy doing light stretches, tall and muscular, fair-skinned, with striking blue eyes, clearly of Western descent. His shoulder-length blonde hair was slicked back slightly, and in his vest, his build looked like a sculpture.
As he noticed them, he offered a wave. "Hey there, Ms. Zhi."
Zhi Yan walked up beside the ropes and introduced him. "Lin Fang, this is Adam Smith. A friend from university."
She then turned to Adam. "This is Lin Fang, my high school classmate."
Adam smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you, man."
Lin Fang nodded and gave a small bow, instinctively polite. "Likewise."
But internally, he grimaced. 'Why does this guy look like he stepped out of a fitness ad? Did he glow? I swear he glowed for a second.'
Adam leaned on the ropes, sizing him up, but not in a condescending way. "First time boxing?"
Lin Fang straightened and nervously replied. "Yeah. Hoping to learn the basics."
"Well, you're in the right place," Adam said, hopping down from the ring with a light bounce. "I'll run you through some warm-ups. Come on. Let's see what you've got."
Lin Fang exhaled slowly, steeling himself. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he felt slightly competitive all of a sudden.
Zhi Yan leaned casually against the ropes as Lin Fang stepped into the ring. "By the way," she said, glancing at him with a knowing smirk, "Adam is an A-class Hunter by the way."
Lin Fang's eyes widened slightly. But then, she leaned in a little closer and dropped her voice to a whisper, adding as an afterthought. "Also, he's Li Liu's ex."
"He is her ex?" That made him sharply turn his gaze to this man. The competitiveness he felt earlier shot up like a rocket. "I remember her mentioning dating a westerner in the past who was so popular that it caused her anxiety issues. Don't tell me this is the bastard?" But then a moment later, he shook his head quickly. 'Get it together. Focus. You are not here to fight him. You are here to train and become stronger."
Meanwhile, Zhi Yan turned back to Adam, who was now doing light shoulder rolls while still keeping his eye on them. "Lin Fang has his Hunter Examination in a few days," she came to the matter directly without going a roundabout way. "I want you to show him the basics like footwork, punches, maybe some kicks."
Adam tilted his head, studying Lin Fang again with mild curiosity. "Sure, I don't mind," he said, but then crossed his arms and frowned slightly as he gave another look at Lin Fang. "But I'm confused. You want to be a Hunter?"
Lin Fang nodded once, stiffly.
"But… you don't have mana," Adam pointed out bluntly.
Lin Fang opened his mouth, but Zhi Yan cut in, "He intends to walk the path of a tamer. Just help him out, Adam, for old times' sake."
Adam looked at her, then at Lin Fang again. After a second's pause, he shrugged. "Alright, alright. Come on, Mr. Lin. Let's see what you've got. Then we'll see how to train you."