Cataclysm Hunter: I Have an Experience Points System

A surge of warmth flowed from Lin Xiao’s brain, coursing through his entire body in an instant. He squinted his eyes and took a deep breath, afraid he might let out a sigh of comfort.

His breathing became lighter, and his vision clearer. Clenching his fists, he even felt as if his strength had increased. No, it might not be an illusion after all; a healthy and excellent body could indeed become stronger!

Revitalized, Lin Xiao focused even harder on accumulating experience points. The teacher on the podium adjusted his glasses, looking at the suddenly diligent student with a hint of confusion on his aged face.

…

In the cafeteria during lunch break, a girl with shoulder-length short hair and a pretty face bit into a chicken leg with frustration, muttering complaints through her mouthful.

“That Wu Zhixing is too much! What kind of skill is it to bully classmates?”

Sitting across from Zhao Siya, Lin Xiao looked at her still-puffed-up round face and said calmly, “It’s true that I’m not strong enough. You don’t need to get angry with him.”

In fact, Lin Xiao didn’t really understand why Wu Zhixing targeted him so much. Wu Zhixing was indeed domineering, but he didn’t usually go out of his way to trouble classmates. There were several students who were dead last in the class, and Lin Xiao wasn’t the worst, yet he seemed to be the one Wu Zhixing disliked the most.

“You were third in the entrance exam! If it weren’t for your health later on…”

Zhao Siya glanced at Lin Xiao, and seeing his unchanged expression, she continued, “If you didn’t faint so often, he wouldn’t be able to compare to you now!”

Zhao Siya and Lin Xiao lived in the same neighborhood, and their families were on good terms. The two of them had been playing together since childhood, almost like family. Before college, Lin Xiao had always stood up for Zhao Siya, but now the roles seemed reversed…

“Hey-! Eating together again, huh?”

A teasing voice came from behind. Lin Xiao saw Zhao Siya’s face fall instantly, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance. Turning around, he saw a tall, lanky man approaching. His build wasn’t exactly thin, but his nearly six-foot-five height made him look somewhat underfed, with a sharp and sarcastic expression.

Wu Yong, ranked 17th in the class, was part of Wu Zhixing’s posse. Walking up to the table, Wu Yong glanced at their trays and started with his sarcastic remarks.

“I say, Zhao Siya, hanging out with trash every day, be careful you don’t become weak too.”

Zhao Siya raised her eyes coldly and replied indifferently, “None of your business.”

“You…!”

Wu Yong was about to curse but bit his tongue and held back. He then turned his anger towards Lin Xiao.

“Hey… you know what you’re like, right? Shouldn’t you just get lost? Don’t drag others down with you.”

Lin Xiao looked at him with interest. He wasn’t particularly interested in Wu Yong. The guy mocked him not just to echo Wu Zhixing but also because of Lin Xiao’s childhood friendship with Zhao Siya. Wu Yong had a crush on Zhao Siya, and seeing them together every day made him green with envy, leading him to target Lin Xiao constantly.

Taking a sip of soup, Lin Xiao smiled pleasantly. “I don’t think I’m dragging her down.”

“Ha-! What nonsense are you talking about?”

Wu Yong dug at his ear, his face showing an exaggerated expression of surprise.

“Every day you cling to Zhao Siya during free combat, hoping she’ll go easy on you, right?”

Wu Yong reached out and grabbed Lin Xiao by the collar, his tone dripping with malice.

“How about we spar this afternoon? I’ll show you just how worthless you really are…”

“Wu Yong-! Let him go!”

Zhao Siya slammed her hands on the table and stood up, her face flushed with anger as she fiercely scolded him.

The commotion drew the attention of others in the cafeteria, who turned their gazes towards the scene with interest.

Lin Xiao stood up, facing Wu Yong directly. Though his 188 cm height was slightly at a disadvantage compared to Wu Yong, his presence was unwavering.

“Alright, let’s be opponents this afternoon.”

“Lin Xiao…!”

Zhao Siya tried to stop him, but Lin Xiao raised a hand to interrupt her, leaving her frustrated and blushing beside him.

Wu Yong, clearly not expecting Lin Xiao to accept the challenge, was momentarily stunned before a cruel smirk spread across his face.

“It’s settled then, kid… Just don’t beg me to spare you later!”

“You might not be qualified for that.”

Lin Xiao calmly brushed off Wu Yong’s hand and straightened his clothes.

“Fine! You’ve got guts…”

Wu Yong nodded, gave him a cold look, and then turned to leave the cafeteria.

“Lin Xiao! Why did you accept his provocation!?”

As soon as Wu Yong’s figure disappeared, Zhao Siya bounced over to Lin Xiao like a rabbit, shaking his shoulders vigorously.

“He’ll really go all out! Why are you being so impulsive!?”

“Stop, stop!”

Lin Xiao quickly grabbed her hands, feeling like his head was about to spin.

“Don’t worry, I might not even lose…”

“…His punch strength is over 750 kg, and he’s proficient in military martial arts. Even I might not be able to beat him…”

Zhao Siya looked into his eyes with a pout, her cheeks puffed in frustration.

Lin Xiao chuckled, gently pulling her cheeks to form a comical smile.

“My headaches are gone, and I’ve gotten a lot stronger.”

Zhao Siya blinked her large eyes, filled with skepticism.

“Really…? How can you be sure you’re cured? And even if you are, you can’t just suddenly become stronger…”

“No worries, at least I won’t lose too badly.”

Patting Zhao Siya’s head, Lin Xiao resumed his lunch.

He was lying. This time… he intended to win.

…

Military University offered decent accommodations, with free dormitories on campus.

Two students shared a room, providing a place for rest and lodging.

Lin Xiao’s roommate was Luo Tao, a somewhat introverted and shy person who didn’t talk much.

They weren’t classmates, but they got along well enough.

After exchanging nods in greeting, Lin Xiao sat cross-legged on his bed.

Wu Yong’s strength attribute was 10, and his agility was 8.

When Lin Xiao had come into contact with him earlier, he had seen Wu Yong’s attributes.

Lin Xiao’s strength was 8 points, with a punch strength of 534 kg, while Wu Yong’s punch strength exceeded 750 kg.

Why was there such a significant difference in strength with just a two-point gap?

If averaged out, Lin Xiao’s strength attribute was about 66 kg per point, whereas Wu Yong’s was over 75 kg.

Moreover, with Wu Yong’s agility only at 8 points, his exertion must be relatively high.

If his agility improved, his punch strength might exceed 800 kg.

Perhaps the growth of strength attributes wasn’t a straight line, but an upward-curving trajectory…

…The further along, the more valuable each attribute point became?

Lin Xiao pondered over his hypothesis and opened his attribute panel.

[Name: Lin Xiao]

[Potential Points: 2]

[Strength: 8]

[Agility: 9]

[Constitution: 8]

[Spirit: 10]

[Skills: Vitalis Refinement Method (Incomplete) – Lv1 (82%), Martial Arts – Lv0 (89%), Two-Handed Sword – Lv0 (95%), Footwork – Lv0 (78%), Shorthand – Lv1 (0.5%), Mental Arithmetic – Lv1 (0.1%), Drawing – Lv1 (0.1%)]

After upgrading Shorthand to Lv1, the most noticeable change was the enhancement in memory. Passages that used to require two or three readings to memorize could now be retained with just a quick glance.

However, this improvement came with a downside-the upgrade process had become significantly slower. Not only did the skills require more experience points, but the rate at which he gained them had also decreased. Subsequent passages only added a single point of experience, and some shorter ones didn’t contribute at all. It seemed that after the skill upgrade, these tasks no longer provided sufficient training.

After memorizing a few pages and realizing the experience points had only reached 0.5%, Lin Xiao promptly abandoned using Shorthand to grind points and began searching for other ways to earn experience points.

He spent the entire morning and eventually discovered two other skills: Mental Arithmetic and Drawing.

Lin Xiao wasn’t skilled in drawing, so he focused on geometric models. Random doodles yielded no experience points, but drawing geometric shapes, especially polyhedra, provided the most. Not every action was recognized by the system as a skill, and Lin Xiao summarized his findings.

Shorthand enhanced memory; Mental Arithmetic improved calculation ability; and Drawing boosted spatial imagination. The commonality among these skills was that they all trained Lin Xiao’s brain.

As for the other skills on the panel, they not only honed his physical body but also enhanced his mastery over its movements. All of these contributed to Lin Xiao’s overall improvement in a positive way.