Cataclysm Hunter: I Have an Experience Points System - Chapter 17 - Vitalis Martial Transformation

Lin Xiao saw a rare expression on his teacher’s face for the first time. The usually carefree and cheerful female teacher now wore a serious look. Her delicate eyebrows were furrowed, and the smile in her crescent-shaped eyes had vanished, replaced by a sharp, blade-like brightness.

Noticing her gaze fixed on his right hand, Lin Xiao curiously asked, “Teacher, can you see it?”

“…Try gathering the energy into your eyes.”

Lin Xiao suddenly understood and concentrated a bit of energy into his pupils. The world transformed before him… Reds became redder, blues bluer, and his vision sharpened to the point where he could see the texture of a mosquito’s wings on the wall several meters away.

Upon closer inspection, the air seemed to contain faint particles of various colors-red, green, blue, yellow-floating aimlessly, too minute to discern clearly. Lin Xiao looked out the window at the tall trees beside the school building, their leaves swaying gently in the breeze. But the movement seemed somewhat slow…

“What are you looking at? Look at your hand!” Xu Ruomei’s voice snapped him back from the fascinating state. Lin Xiao shifted his gaze to his right hand. His slender palm was enveloped in a thin layer of grayish gas, clinging to his skin like a hazy glove.

“This is the true combat form of vitalis!” Xu Ruomei lightly touched the back of Lin Xiao’s hand, her demeanor now more composed. Lin Xiao noticed her pupils seemed to be veiled in a dark, profound layer, likely the effect of concentrating vitalis in her eyes.

“Does this energy aid in combat?” Lin Xiao asked, clenching his fist, but he felt no change in his physical strength.

“It enhances the destructive power of your attacks and provides decent defense! Come with me.” Xu Ruomei led Lin Xiao to the corner of the office where a force meter was located.

“For the first punch, withdraw all the energy from your body, just like usual.” Nodding, Lin Xiao relinquished control over the vitalis within him, allowing the energy to dissolve into his cells. Taking a deep breath, he threw a straight punch.

Bang-!

Force Meter: 1058 Kg!

“Not bad, not bad! Now for the second punch, draw out the vitalis and concentrate it in your punching hand!” Lin Xiao guided the energy to his arm and delivered the second punch.

Bang-!

Force Meter: 1341 Kg!

“Huh? Such a significant increase!?” Lin Xiao was startled; this punch increased by nearly 300 kg, far more than when his strength went from 10 to 11.

Xu Ruomei, slightly exasperated, corrected his misunderstanding, “…Your energy density is too high! Ordinary students typically see an increase of about 100 kg.”

Recalling the near-liquid state of his vitalis, Lin Xiao nodded in understanding. It was likely due to his 14-point constitution, allowing for higher quality energy storage in his cells.

“If I concentrate energy at the point of impact, will the increase be even greater?”

“You can, but it will consume more energy!” Xu Ruomei replied.

So there’s a cost involved!

Lin Xiao quickly closed his eyes, focusing on the vitalis gathered in his right hand.

It seemed… there was indeed a slight consumption? It wasn’t much, so Lin Xiao hadn’t noticed earlier.

“Does it replenish when you refine the vitalis?”

“Exactly~ exactly~! That’s how it works~! Once your body is full, it stores the excess energy.”

That was a relief; using it wouldn’t feel wasteful. Lin Xiao felt quite satisfied.

“Alright~ third punch! Coat your skin with vitalis!”

Once again, Lin Xiao’s right hand was enveloped in a layer of energy, like a pale gray veil.

Bang-!

This punch felt different; it was as if his skin hadn’t directly touched the power gauge.

Lin Xiao relaxed his hand and glanced at the screen.

Power Gauge: 1753Kg!

Wow…

He touched the gaseous shroud, unable to fathom how it could possess such destructive power.

At that moment, Teacher Xu’s voice drifted over.

“This is called-‘Vitalis Martial Transformation.'”

Lin Xiao turned around, watching as his teacher raised her clasped left hand, her fingers unfurling one by one as she spoke.

“Filling, Entwinement, Release, Alienation… What you’ve achieved now is the second stage-Vitalis Entwinement~!”

So, vitalis-Lv0 corresponds to the first stage, “Filling,” and vitalis-Lv1 to the second stage, “Entwinement.”

Does “Release” and “Alienation” represent Lv2 and Lv3, respectively?

What effects do they have? Are there even higher levels beyond that?

Just as Lin Xiao was about to ask, the footwork teacher placed her hands on his shoulders.

“Lin Xiao-!”

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

Teacher Xu’s sudden stern and serious tone startled Lin Xiao.

“Before the Martial Transformation Class officially begins, do not use Vitalis Entwinement on your classmates!”

“Okay…”

Since the teacher was giving him special lessons, Lin Xiao knew to be discreet. However, he was curious why she emphasized “Entwinement.”

“Is Vitalis Entwinement difficult?”

A smile appeared on Teacher Xu’s face, but her eyes held no trace of humor.

“It’s very difficult. Even in the Hunter Association, not all hunters can achieve it.”

“And! Most importantly…”

The female teacher grabbed his collar, pulling Lin Xiao’s head down to her face.

“If you only use ‘Filling,’ no one will notice anything. But once you use ‘Entwinement,’ the teachers will sense something unusual…”

Teacher Xu’s voice was low, the faint scent of tobacco and blueberries brushing against Lin Xiao’s face.

“…If the teachers see me using Vitalis Entwinement, they’ll know someone secretly taught me these techniques?”

Given the footwork teacher’s serious demeanor, Lin Xiao was also on edge, lowering his voice to a whisper.

“Exactly.”

Teacher Xu nodded slightly, her expression heavy.

“They’ll suspect, investigate, and eventually… trace it back to me.”

Could revealing these lessons to him have caused Teacher Xu to commit a serious offense?

Filled with guilt, Lin Xiao solemnly promised:

“Don’t worry, Teacher. Before the Martial Transformation Class starts, I won’t use ‘Entwinement’ on anyone, not even ‘Filling.'”

Even if it meant losing a match against Wu Zhixing, Lin Xiao didn’t want to cause trouble for those who helped him.

Hearing Lin Xiao’s words, Teacher Xu’s expression softened slightly, muttering softly:

“That’s good… that’s good…”

Seeing this, Lin Xiao felt even worse. If he had known revealing the lessons was so serious, he wouldn’t have taken advantage of it.

“Teacher, if others find out… will you be expelled?”

“No, I won’t.”

Teacher Xu shook her head, clenching her fists, her brows furrowed, speaking with a grave tone:

“But… they’ll dock one of my meals!”

“……”

At that moment, Lin Xiao’s expression went blank.

He felt like a fool for worrying so much earlier.

“…I’m going back to class.”

“Hey~ why do you look like you’re annoyed with me~!? Your expression is a bit disrespectful~!”