Here's your improved version with a more realistic tone, cleaner flow, and grounded behavior:
A week later, after a lot of thinking — and overthinking — I made my decision.
I would go to Nuoding Academy in Nuoding City.
It wasn't some heroic, dramatic choice. Just… the most practical option I had.
I went to the village chief and asked about the work-study quota — the only way someone like me could afford to study there.
He didn't look pleased.
For a moment, I thought he might refuse. And honestly, I wouldn't have blamed him. In a small village, every quota matters. Every decision affects survival.
He stayed silent for a while, weighing things in his head.
Then he sighed.
"Three months from now," he said, "Uncle Xu Chu will go to Nuoding City to sell the village goods. You'll go with him. After that… you're on your own."
That was it.
No encouragement. No emotional speech. Just a practical arrangement.
And I understood.
This wasn't some anime world where everyone supports the protagonist. This was reality. People act based on responsibility, benefit, and risk.
I didn't hold any grudge.
If anything, I appreciated him.
As the village chief, he could have easily ignored me. Denied me. But he didn't. He fulfilled his duty — nothing more, nothing less.
That was enough.
Three months.
It sounded like a long time, but I knew better. Time slips away like sand through a clenched fist.
If I wanted to survive out there… I couldn't waste a single day.
Before leaving for the academy, I made another decision.
I needed to fix my body first.
So I headed toward the back of the village — the mountain area. It wasn't completely safe, but it was the only place where I could hunt.
Meat. Protein. Nutrition.
Basic things… but essential.
In this world, strength wasn't given.
It was built — piece by piece, day by day.
And if I wanted a future at Nuoding Academy…