Beep.
The whistle cut through the air, and his body moved before his brain caught up.
What was that just now?
Footsteps pounded across the field.
Breathing turned uneven, overlapping and messy.
"Twelve point thirty-five seconds. Not bad."
Sun Feng's voice cut through the noise.
The sun was blazing overhead, but what pressed against his skin didn't feel like sunlight.
Just heat.
Suffocating.
New material?
He was still staring at the transparent dome when his entire body jolted at the sound of his name.
"Chen Guang, take your position."
Sun Feng blew the whistle again.
He stepped forward, lowering himself into a starting stance.
How long has it been since I last ran 100 meters?
Beep.
The sharp sound startled him, and his legs moved on reflex.
What the hell… why does my body feel this heavy?
Every step felt heavier than the last.
His breathing turned ragged.
"Seventeen point fifty."
"Sit down and rest. If you pass out here, I'll bury you myself."
Sun Feng shouted before signaling the next person.
It wasn't exhaustion.
It was… weight.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, his breathing came in uneven bursts.
"See that? He can't even run on his own, and you expect him to carry you?"
Mei Mei sneered.
"That's my business. Stay out of it."
Mimi crossed her arms, cheeks puffed in annoyance.
"What's your problem? Why do you keep defending him?"
"You're the one with the problem—"
"At least I'm not pretending to be something I'm not."
Mimi let out a cold laugh.
"You're just a D-Rank like me, aren't you?"
Their argument escalated, neither willing to back down.
"Everyone, focus. I've assessed your stamina. Next, we'll move on to combat training."
Sun Feng's voice cut cleanly through their bickering.
Chen Guang returned to his spot, still catching his breath, when Sun Feng suddenly held out a bundle of lots in front of him.
"I'll demonstrate the basics. We'll draw lots to select a volunteer."
A chill ran down his spine.
Something felt off. Very off.
"Go ahead. Pick one."
The corner of Sun Feng's lips curled.
She was watching him.
Every move.
After a brief pause, Chen Guang reached out and drew the far-right slip.
"Look, he got it."
"Lucky or unlucky? Going up as Feng Feng's punching bag—"
"Honestly, I'd pay a million for that ticket… if I had the cash."
Chen Guang stood frozen.
Out of ten... And it had to be me?
"Alright, get on the stage."
Sun Feng pressed a button on something that looked like a car key.
A low rumble spread from the center of the field.
The ground shook.
A platform—no, a full fighting arena—slowly rose from beneath the surface.
The two of them stepped onto it.
Chen Guang sighed and slipped the lot into his pocket.
Sun Feng gestured for him to step to the center.
"Oh right, this might get in the way. Hold these for me."
She handed him the remaining lots.
Why doesn't she just keep them herself?
Then it hit him.
His head snapped up.
Sun Feng's eerie smile met his gaze.
Cold sweat ran down his back.
All the slips—same color.
So that was it.
He never had a choice.
"As we all know, what we face inside the Portal… are mostly monsters."
Did she just emphasize "mostly"?
Before she even finished—Sun Feng's arm swung.
On instinct, Chen Guang dropped flat.
The strike missed him by a hair.
"What's with him? Why's he kneeling like that?"
"Did he just collapse for no reason?"
Mocking laughter spread through the crowd.
If I hadn't dodged that… I'd be dead.
The air snapped past his ears, leaving them ringing.
"For example, goblins, the weakest monsters. They're short, and their weak point is the head. Perfect height to—"
Before finishing her sentence, Sun Feng drove her knee upward, aiming straight at Chen Guang's head.
His face nearly slammed into her leg.
"Are you trying to kill me?!"
Chen Guang shouted.
"Remember this: a monster that isn't dead is still dangerous, no matter how weak it is."
Sun Feng didn't react.
She stepped in again, launching a kick straight toward his forehead.
Drip. Drip.
Sweat fell onto the stage.
Chen Guang's head snapped backward.
Right before his eyes—was the sole of her shoe.
One instant slower, and it would've pierced straight into his skull.
Dust flew into his nose and mouth, making him cough violently.
"With just two simple moves, you can take down a normal goblin. Remember, the head is the weak point."
Sun Feng lowered her leg and turned back to the class, continuing as if nothing had happened.
"Miss, what if we're surrounded by multiple goblins?"
A hand raised.
"There are two ways. First, use weapons. Same principle, the head is the weak point."
She raised two fingers.
"Second, this is why stamina matters. Without weapons, you rely on your endurance to eliminate them."
Her kicks kept coming, relentless, targeting Chen Guang's face and head.
Each strike tore through the air.
Even the students below the stage instinctively stepped back.
And yet—somehow, without even realizing it himself, Chen Guang dodged every single one.
Shit, she's not even human. She's… a monster.
He forced some distance between them.
Barely managed to stand, he wiped the sweat from his soaked forehead.
Then he raised both hands.
"That should be enough, right? I don't think I can keep this up."
One of Sun Feng's eyebrows lifted.
"Not bad. You almost died—three times."
A cold shiver ran down his back as he stepped off the stage.
My body… dodged on its own?
Something clicked.
He recalled what he read last night.
Ant vision, good with movement, bad with detail.
Whispers spread.
"Did you see that?"
"How did he dodge all that?"
"No idea. Could you do it?"
"No way. You could hear the wind from here, that was insane…"
"Rolling around like a dog. What's impressive about that? Just got lucky."
Mei Mei scoffed, eyes full of disdain.
"Everyone, form groups and begin practice. Your opponents will be simulated goblins."
Sun Feng pressed another button on the key-like device.
One by one, additional arenas rose around the central platform, five in total.
"Hey, what's that thing up there?"
Someone pointed at a massive egg-like structure in the corner of each arena.
"That's a projection device. It recreates not just visuals, but smell and sensation as well."
Mimi exclaimed excitedly.
"Let me try it out!"
The shout came from a young man with dyed blond hair.
Then he quickly climbed onto a nearby platform.
The moment his foot touched it, a bell rang.
Before he could react, a goblin appeared out of nowhere, eyes glowing red, fangs bared, charging straight at him.
"HELPPPPPPPPPP!!! THERE'S A MONSTER!!!"
His scream echoed across the training ground as he bolted like a man possessed—leaping off the platform and crashing face-first into the dirt.
Behind him, the goblin vanished in a sharp crackle.
"That's the projection device. It holds data on common Portal monsters."
Sun Feng walked over, Chen Guang followed behind.
"Each group will take turns sparring against simulated goblins. Just remember what you've learned."
Beep.
Sun Feng blew the whistle.
My body feels heavier. That sound?
Chen Guang lifted one leg slightly, the weight vanished.
I need to figure out more about these ants.
He let out a slow breath.
"NOOOOO!!!!!! HELP!!!!!!"
"Disgusting!!! Get me down!!!"
"Let go of me!!! Don't—don't bite my leg!!!"
Screams broke out across the training grounds.
People dropped one after another.
Some curled up, clutching their faces, crying like children.
Others vomited violently, their faces drained of all color.
"Not everyone is suited to be a Vanguard. Remember that."
Sun Feng swept her gaze across the field, her voice stern.
"Yay, that's the tenth one!"
Mimi's voice rang out from another platform.
She sounded so excited it seemed like she was just playing a game.
"Get lost, you pieces of trash."
On a different platform, Mei Mei roared, using all her strength to crush the goblins—more precisely, their projections.
Skulls shattered.
Necks snapped.
Heels drove straight into the back of their heads.
No hesitation.
Just pure brute force.
"At this rate… that girl will get herself killed sooner or later."
Sun Feng muttered to herself as she glanced toward Mei Mei.
"Ruan Mei, twenty… second daughter of—ah. That explains it."
She checked something on her phone, then let out a quiet sigh.
Her gaze shifted to another platform.
"And him…"
The corner of her lips curled upward.
On a separate stage, Chen Guang stood as goblins fell one after another, vanishing after a single, simple strike.
A straight punch to the head.
"Optimize effort. Target the weak point."
He muttered under his breath, throwing a punch into empty air.
A charging goblin ran straight into it.
In mere moments, he took down five in a row.
Same method. Same motion.
No need to be faster.
I need to be cleaner. More precise.
Taking a deep breath, he continued.
His movements grew tighter.
"Can't you kill them a little cleaner?"
For a moment, he saw her—Linlin, in Mimi's pink outfit.
Chen Guang let out a quiet laugh.
"Next time we meet, I'll show you."
More goblins began appearing at once.
Didn't matter.
*****
"Alright, that's it for today. After this, I hope each of you seriously considers whether you truly want to become a Vanguard."
Sun Feng spoke, her stern gaze sweeping across the class.
"I was just scared at first. Now? I can send them straight to heaven in seconds."
The blond-haired young man grinned smugly, chin raised.
"Are you kidding? You were screaming for your mom when they pulled your pants down."
"Hey, I still took down ten! That was just a technical issue!"
"More like skill issue."
Laughter broke out.
"If you've chosen this path, then take it seriously. Don't let your guard down for even a second."
Sun Feng gave a small nod.
"You only have one life. Survival comes before everything. Understood?"
"YES, MA'AM!"
The class responded in unison.
"Good. That's all for today. Class dismissed."
She turned and walked toward the office building.
"Man, I'm starving. That training killed me."
"Did you see that killer kick I did earlier?"
"Hmph. One punch from me and two of them are done."
The crowd began to disperse.
Soon, only Chen Guang was left.
"I'll head home first, Chen Guang. Got something to do today."
"Alright. See you tomorrow."
He waved, watching Mimi skip away from the training ground.
See you tomorrow, huh?
He looked down at his hand, a faint smile forming on his lips.
"Still not enough."
"I should train a bit more."
Without another word, he headed back toward the training room.
*****
"So? Did you notice anything new?"
Inside a room, Liu Zhang pushed a cup of tea toward Sun Feng while pouring another for himself.
"He's holding back."
Sun Feng took a sip, her eyes lighting up.
"Good tea."
"Top-grade tea from the north."
Liu Zhang smiled and refilled her cup.
"Thank you, sir."
"How did you figure that out?"
Sun Feng set her cup down.
Whoosh—
Her hand struck Liu Zhang's.
The shockwave from the impact made the entire room tremble, teacups clinking loudly.
"Hmm. Not bad. Your strike's gotten faster."
"Thank you, sir."
Sun Feng nodded, taking another sip.
"He dodged."
She spoke calmly as she set the cup down.
"What?"
Liu Zhang's voice was filled with shock.
"He dodged it. In an instant."
"That's impossible. He's an F-Rank—"
Sun Feng handed her phone over.
Liu Zhang played the clip, falling into silence.
"All of them… by a hair?"
"Yes. And more importantly, he never panicked."
Sun Feng took another sip.
There was an almost childlike delight in her eyes.
"Strange. Three years… and he's been a joke the whole time."
Liu Zhang muttered thoughtfully.
"After this course, invite him to join the Canary."
"I was thinking the same. If he's the real deal, we gain a valuable member."
Sun Feng finished her tea.
"And if not...."
She placed the cup down, smiling as she stood.
"It's getting late. I'll take my leave. Goodbye, sir."
She bowed slightly and left the room.
"Hm… Chen Guang, huh? If he's not pretending to be a fool… this just got interesting."
Liu Zhang gazed out the window as the sunlight faded into night.
[TIME REMAINING: 37 HOURS 15 MINUTES]
"Almost a full day left and still nothing's happened."
Chen Guang wrapped bandages around his hands, glancing at the system screen.
"Tomorrow's the last day."
He opened the [QUEST] tab again.
[QUEST CHAIN: INVENTORY EXPANSION]
[FIRST QUEST: INCREASE BASE STRENGTH TO 0.4]
[REWARD: UNLOCK ONE ADDITIONAL INVENTORY SLOT]
"Tch. Training it is."
He walked to the weight rack, picked up a 20kg dumbbell, and began.
"My body… it's changing."
He gritted his teeth as he lifted the weight.
"I need to take control of it."
Bang.
The weight slammed onto the floor.
His face turned red.
Grinding his teeth, he bent down and lifted it again.
At the same time—back at the training ground he had just left.
Crackle.
Crackle. Crackle.
Faint purple sparks flickered into existence… then vanished just as quickly.
Scorched marks spread across the ground.
Several ants lay scattered nearby.
Twitching.
Then—
Still.
A faint burnt smell lingered in the air.