Cataclysm Hunter: I Have an Experience Points System

During the morning Cultural Class, Lin Xiao quickly memorized and understood the rules of Go. Now, he was engrossed in a match on the Fox Go platform, playing against another amateur at the 25th level. His eyes were glued to his phone, brows furrowed, as if facing a formidable opponent. He didn’t even notice the subtle glances from his classmates.

“…Lin Xiao, …Lin Xiao!” Zhao Siya’s eyes flickered with urgency as she whispered his name, her hand half-covering her mouth. Lin Xiao snapped back to reality, realizing the classroom had fallen silent, with his peers casting curious and somewhat admiring looks his way.

On the podium stood the teacher, wearing thick glasses and with only a few strands of hair left on his head. His gaze was cold as he silently observed the student playing on his phone during class. Lin Xiao blinked, offering an awkward smile. Military school was no ordinary university; classes here weren’t something you could skip or ignore at will. Even though Cultural Classes were less frequent, the knowledge they imparted was essential for students.

This particular class on mutant beasts covered common species, their threat levels, and countermeasures. The course could significantly impact a student’s career in the military or the Hunter Association. Understanding mutant beasts was crucial to knowing their habits, strength levels, and whether one could hunt them, and how to do so safely. It was a matter of life and death.

Even the proud Wu Zhixing was paying close attention, as no one wanted to gamble with their life. Lin Xiao’s previous fainting spells were beyond his control, but playing on his phone during class was a serious attitude problem.

The teacher set down his book, leaning on the desk with both hands, and said expressionlessly, “Lin Xiao, describe the physical characteristics and threat level of the Black Tusk Boar.”

Lin Xiao stood up politely, placing his phone on the desk. “The Black Tusk Boar typically measures between 2 to 4 meters in length, stands 1.5 to 3 meters tall, and weighs 2 to 5 tons. It has a long snout, black tusks, massive claws on its limbs, and dark scales on its back with a hardness akin to steel. Ordinary individuals have a threat level of D, while those over 3 meters long are rated C, classified as High-Risk mutant beasts.”

The teacher’s expression remained unchanged as he continued, “What are its weaknesses, and how do you hunt it?”

“The weaknesses are its nose and abdomen, and it has poor turning ability. It’s recommended to dodge its charge, then use a weapon to cut off its snout or slice open its side, weakening it before engaging head-on.”

“Now, describe the characteristics and hunting method for the Shadow Blade Mantis.”

“The Shadow Blade Mantis can stealthily move and become invisible in shadows, with a body length of 0.8 to 1.5 meters, height…”

“Tell me about the Blue-Backed Gorilla…”

“And the Ghost-Faced Spider?”

“…”

The mutant beast teacher continued to fire questions, and Lin Xiao answered each one with unwavering composure. Initially, his classmates’ gazes were teasing and mocking. But as Lin Xiao flawlessly answered over a dozen questions, their expressions shifted dramatically.

Wow, this guy is really something!

At the neighboring table, Zhao Siya’s eyes widened, her mouth agape in astonishment.

When Lin Xiao answered nearly 20 questions correctly, the teacher paused, stroking his few strands of hair, and asked:

“Did you… prepare in advance?”

“I memorized everything.”

There was a sharp intake of breath throughout the classroom as the students looked at Lin Xiao with eyes filled with shock.

Even Wu Zhixing, who had a perpetual scowl, furrowed his brows, looking at him with a face full of suspicion.

Whispers began to fill the room.

“Memorizing everything is just too extreme!”

“Damn! Overstudied much?”

“Are you even human?”

“Awesome.”

“So he pretends to play around, but secretly he’s been working hard…”

The girl next door, his childhood friend, was trembling with awe.

…

Looking at Lin Xiao’s calm demeanor, the teacher adjusted his slipping glasses.

“Alright… sit down, don’t disturb the others.”

Lin Xiao sat down and reopened his phone.

He really had memorized all the texts.

After arriving in the classroom in the morning, he thought about earning some experience points for shorthand.

Using his Shorthand-Lv1 with an additional 11 points in spirit and agility of 10, he laboriously memorized the entire book.

But when he opened his attribute panel, he found that his shorthand had only increased by 5%!

Frustrated, Lin Xiao decided to explore Go.

It was his first time playing Go, and he hadn’t made more than two moves before being called away. The game had paused due to his long inactivity.

After re-matching and waiting a while, Lin Xiao started another game.

Although he remembered the rules, having never played before and knowing nothing about the strategies, he had to rely solely on his understanding, which was embarrassingly bad. But it didn’t matter, as his opponent wasn’t much stronger.

Three minutes into the game, Lin Xiao frowned.

Why am I not earning any experience points?

Could it be that Go isn’t recognized by the system as a skill?

That shouldn’t be the case since this activity is quite a mental workout.

Confused but resolute, Lin Xiao decided to finish the game.

About ten minutes later, the clumsy duel ended with Lin Xiao as the victor.

[Go-Lv0: experience points +38]

“…!?”

Lin Xiao stared at the information on the panel, dumbfounded.

It was his first time seeing such a generous award of experience points!

So it turns out the experience points are calculated at the end of the game?

38 points in 10 minutes was not bad, and it would be great if there was a way to speed it up…

Lin Xiao’s gaze shifted to the lower right corner of his phone screen.

Next to the button for a regular game was another button-

Blitz Chess.

A regular game of Fox Go might take about ten minutes, but Blitz Chess could finish within 5 minutes.

This was something Lin Xiao had noted while reading about the platform.

“…”

Blitz Chess mode! Activate!

Within a few seconds, he was matched with an opponent.

As expected, in this restless society, more people played Blitz Chess than the slower version, everyone looking to fit a game into their brief moments of rest.

Click, click, click…

In less than three minutes, the game ended.

This time Lin Xiao lost, as he lacked experience in fast games which didn’t even allow him time to think.

[Go-Lv0: experience points +32]

Go is amazing!

Lin Xiao silently praised Go, the national treasure, and immediately started another round.

[Go-Lv0: experience points +33]

[Go-Lv0 >>> Go-Lv1! Potential points +1]

Tears streamed down Lin Xiao’s face as he wanted to shout: Wow, take off-!

Without hesitation, using the potential points he had saved from the day before, Lin Xiao added one point each to his constitution and spirit.

Now his constitution was 13, and his spirit was 12, elevating his training pace to a new level!

Wondering if other board games could also level up this quickly…