The toxin slowed the movements of the strange beast, making the battle easier. The royal-grade beast tried several times to break through and kill Su Cha, but was intercepted by others. Killing a royal-grade beast earned far more points than killing an ordinary one—neither the First Military Academy nor the Second Military Academy would let that opportunity go.
You want to kill me?
Su Cha gave a cold laugh. “Capture the leader to defeat the bandits—kill the royal-grade, win the points!”
He didn’t think he had the ability to retreat unscathed from a royal-grade beast right now, so all he did was shout encouragement the entire time. Midway through the battle, his spirit form gradually returned to normal, and he quickly pulled back.
Screams, combat, death…
The night ended with the comings and goings of the “He’s Here” squad.
Morning broke.
The fierce bloodbath of the previous night cast a crimson hue over the newly risen sun.
By now, the “He’s Here” squad had returned to the ruins. Su Cha leaned against a crumbling wall, coughing hard a few times, so exhausted he didn’t even have the strength to raise his hand.
“How many points, folks?”
Rong Shao barely opened his eyes a crack. “No idea, but definitely a lot.”
Unlike them, their spirit forms stood guard, watching for sneak attacks.
Su Cha responded sluggishly, glanced at his smart-brain device, and forced himself up: “Tens, hundreds, thousands… how come it’s only four digits?”
“We just killed over two hundred strange beasts. What more do you want?”
There was some overlap in targets—some beasts were deemed to be co-killed with others. Even so, they had over 3,000 points now, far ahead of second-place Team Cold Winter, which was barely over 1,000.
“Fair enough.” Su Cha opened a nutrient pack, drank it, and sighed. “Thanks to the seniors.”
They definitely wouldn’t have dared to charge into the beast tide alone. It was only because they had the crowd that they found a breakthrough.
With only two days left, after resting for the morning, the “He’s Here” squad got back on their feet, ready to head out and hunt. Last night’s attack had scattered the beasts—now was the best time to farm points.
From not far off, a voice rang out: “It’s the beast farmer!”
Several zones no longer had clearly defined active areas, so nowhere was truly safe. Seeing Su Cha now, the person who spoke wasn’t a freshman.
“Beast farmer?” Su Cha froze. “Who are they talking about?”
His teammates instinctively glanced at him, then looked away one after another, muttering, “No idea.”
Unfortunately, Su Cha still figured it out, forcing a smile. “They’re talking about me, huh.”
With the help of their spirit forms, their daytime hunting went relatively smoothly. But in the afternoon, a rare rain fell in the desert. The brief coolness didn’t bring joy—just trouble.
The rain drove many underground creatures to the surface. Strange beasts knew when to retreat if injured, but these savage animals gathered and attacked mindlessly.
As rain pattered around them, Su Cha and his teammates picked a relatively safe spot to pitch their tents.
At sunset, everyone relaxed. If they could survive one more day, this mission would be a success.
Inside the tent, Wu Shui saw Su Cha lying obediently on the white tiger, writing something. Curious, he leaned over and asked, “What are you writing?”
“A victory speech.”
“…”
Su Cha was very serious about it. The ten-school tournament was a major event, and there would definitely be an award ceremony—everything had to be ready.
They were using a large tent. Inside, Su Cha read aloud: “Our success this time was forged from 99% sweat and 1% talent.”
He glanced at Wu Shui. “When Ji Tianjin reads this line during the speech, we can’t just stand there—we need to nod slightly.”
“Um…”
Wu Shui’s voice was drowned out by Su Cha, who was still fully immersed in rehearsal.
Wu Shui kindly decided not to explain the truth: actually, with the new drones outside, everything inside the tent could be recorded.
At least if Su Cha didn’t know, he wouldn’t feel embarrassed.
That night, almost no one slept. In the early hours, some sounds of fighting could still be heard.
The next morning, Su Cha stepped out of the tent. The wind and sand were strong. Deep in thought, he was pondering how to investigate the matter related to Wolenson once they left.
“Su Cha.” A low voice came from behind. Su Cha turned back, smiling as always. “What is it?”
As their eyes met, Ji Tianjin fell silent.
The night of Fasite’s sneak attack, through his spirit form’s perception, he vaguely heard someone say, “Stop.” In that moment, Fasite’s movements slowed. Ji Tianjin wasn’t sure if he heard wrong—his spirit form had been in poor condition. But thinking back, that wasn’t all. When he arrived, he clearly saw Su Cha’s eyes glowing golden.
In the end, Ji Tianjin chose not to ask and wouldn’t tell anyone else either. His gaze fell on the white tiger curled up beside Su Cha.
Su Cha was wearing a raincoat, offering little of his usual soothing aura. But this was a bond born of pure closeness. When someone truly trusted another, their spirit form would also release signals of friendliness.
Ji Tianjin said, “We’re teammates. If something’s weighing on your mind, you can come to me anytime.”
Su Cha froze for a moment, then nodded.
“The future interstellar battlefield…”
Su Cha’s entire body tensed in an instant. He instinctively asked, “Don’t tell me… you’ll be waiting for me there too?”
Ji Tianjin corrected him, “I believe everyone will be there. We’ll fight side by side.”
“…” Su Cha dreaded the thought that one day, when he looked back on the battlefield, he’d see nothing but familiar faces—everyone staring at him, opening their mouths in unison: “You’re here.”
Just imagining that scene made him shiver, despite the desert heat.
The white tiger looked at him, puzzled. How could a human at 36°C be trembling under the blazing sun?
Too fragile.
Suddenly, his smart-brain buzzed—a system-wide official alert. Points tallying would stop at 6:00 p.m. With their current score, they were already undisputed champions—unless second place started cheating.
With battles raging everywhere, there was no need to jump in. Boredom began to settle in among them.
Su Cha lit a calming incense stick and started preaching about staying kindhearted, hinting, “Don’t scold your spirit form for no reason.”
Ji Tianjin nodded perfunctorily, but his clenched fist aimed at the white tiger told another story.
Wu Shui and the others’ spirit forms had recovered fully, but the white tiger’s injuries had slowed its restoration. Still, it could fight and run like always, making people wonder if it was just being lazy.
Su Cha swallowed hard. Surely no one’s deranged enough to beat up their own spirit form… right?
The Wu siblings went nearby to scout for lone strange beasts. Su Cha, still not fully recovered, decided to take a nap in the tent.
After days of little rest, he fell asleep instantly the moment his head hit the pillow. With people guarding outside, he felt safe.
“Wake up.”
He was shaken awake mid-dream.
Squinting, Su Cha peeked outside. How is it already dark?
“Is it time for the awards ceremony?” he asked, stuffing his prepared victory speech into Ji Tianjin’s pocket.
Ji Tianjin gave him a long look and replied, “Stay focused.”
It was already 5:40 p.m. They were still in the lead by a huge margin. By this point, the tournament was essentially decided, and many teams were beginning to retreat.
Su Cha got up and helped his teammates pack up the tent. Seeing their little cart, he said, “We can’t just ditch the donkey after using it for the mill.”
Rong Shao, nearby, nodded in agreement.
Su Cha added, “Let’s post it on a secondhand site when we’re back. After all, it was used by champions. Everyone, remember to sign it so we can jack up the price.”
They began walking toward the desert’s edge. Rong Shao teased, “You can sleep a bit more—we’ll push you out.”
Su Cha: “Much appreciated.”
A promise made is a debt unpaid. Rong Shao came to understand this truth all too well as he reluctantly pushed the cart.
After about 20 minutes—and killing a strange beast along the way—the match officially ended at 6:00 p.m. Their team “He’s Here” locked in at 3,250 points.
The “Gale” team surpassed “Cold Winter” for second place, but they were still over 1,000 points behind.
Su Cha grinned, “In the face of absolute strength, latecomers aren’t worth fearing.”
Just as he spoke, an aircraft landed abruptly in front of them. Su Cha blinked—no one had called for rescue.
“Student Su Cha,” someone stepped out and nodded at him, “You’ve been temporarily assigned as an emergency medic.”
The match was over, but many heavily injured students remained in the desert awaiting aid. Su Cha could help heal their spirit forms. Ji Tianjin’s miraculous recovery had already proven Su Cha’s effectiveness.
Taken away solo, Su Cha joined the rescue team. Not far ahead, beside a sand dune, was a badly wounded student. One sleeve soaked in blood, they were on the verge of passing out from blood loss.
As he ran over, Su Cha shouted encouragement, “Hang in there Classmate! We’re here!”
The student barely lifted their eyelids. Upon seeing Su Cha, both they and their spirit form twitched in alarm.
In just two days, Su Cha’s reputation as a “spirit form fattening demon” had spread as far and wide as his old corner store antics.
“No…” Don’t come closer.
“Don’t worry.” Su Cha knelt beside him, channeling spiritual energy to the spirit form. “Come on, open up.”
The spirit form was a snake—unlike the terrifying Python of Fasite, it was slender and weak in attack. The cold-blooded creature was curled up, stiff with fear, like it had encountered a natural predator.
Yet Su Cha’s spiritual energy carried an inexplicable allure. Just getting close made it feel warm and safe.
“Eat. Come on… just a bite…” he coaxed with a devilish smile.
The snake couldn’t resist. One small taste and it lost control. By the time the student was lifted onto a stretcher, their spirit form looked like a balloon ready to float away.
Still unsatisfied, the snake—now stripped of its earlier pride—opened wide, eager for more.
Too bad the rescue workers didn’t give it another chance. They quickly placed it and its owner onto the same stretcher.
To speed things up, a temporary medical tent was erected nearby. Other teams were notified to prioritize severely injured spirit forms.
Within ten minutes, another seven or eight patients had been brought in. Lying on stretchers, each had hopeless eyes.
If you’re injured, you need treatment. But the side effects were… visually devastating.
The second patient on the list watched the first spirit form get fattened up before being wheeled away. He gasped—then it was his turn.
Two minutes later, he too had a balloon for a companion.
Su Cha waved his little hand. “Next.”
The third in line began his descent into despair…
One after another, Su Cha mass-produced plump, robust spirit forms like a conveyor belt. After this batch, exhausted, he finally stopped. Grateful, the rescue workers presented him with a silk banner and escorted him back to the edge of the arena.
Around the desert’s perimeter, battleships and aircraft filled the sky. Reporters allowed entry clustered at the edge, ready for firsthand coverage.
Su Cha tidied his appearance for the sake of the team’s public image.
The champion team of the freshman division had arrived. Normally, reporters would scramble for interviews—but when they saw it was “He’s Here,” they all politely backed off. No one knew what to ask.
Unlike their restraint, Su Cha was always enthusiastic. Smiling, he strode confidently toward the press.
Everyone had a job. He respected that.
A reporter reflexively held out a mic with a standard question: “Student, what do you think was the key to your victory?”
Coincidentally, the same question was being asked to the champion team from the First Military Academy, led by Zhou Zhiyuan.
Zhou Zhiyuan solemnly replied, “Unyielding spirit. A will to challenge ourselves.”
Su Cha, without missing a beat: “Selling watermelons. Livestock farming.”
The reporter forced a smile. “Now that you’ve won, what’s the first thing you want to do when you get back?”
“Sell watermelons.”
“…”
Su Cha went on, “I want to try a food therapy and wellness business. Not sure if someone my age can get a business license. Oh, and how do you pay taxes?”
Even Zhou Zhiyuan turned to look at him.
The reporter mumbled a vague reply, then quickly passed the mic to Ji Tianjin, who had just walked over. “Student, what left the deepest impression on you during the match?”
Please don’t mention watermelons again!
Ji Tianjin coolly answered, “My spirit form turned into a pig.”
“…”
Reporter: “And when you get back, what’s the first thing you’ll do?”
“Get my spirit form back to normal.”
The conversation died on the spot. Thankfully, a broadcast saved the moment: freshmen, please board the ship—first group to evacuate.
The reporter practically beamed at the camera: “We were going to continue interviewing our champions, but alas, time’s run out.”
Boarding checks were stricter than on the way in.
Su Cha gave the staff a puzzled look. The inspector explained, “To prevent people from smuggling strange beast eggs.”
There had been past incidents of people stealing eggs and selling them on the black market. One such egg got lost during a deal and caused a string of disasters.
Besides security, there was full sterilization before boarding. After all the hassle, they finally collapsed into their seats, physically and mentally drained.
Students from the same school came over to congratulate them. Since only fifty freshman teams competed, there was only one champion.
Su Cha felt a bit speechless. The Empire is way too competitive. A big event like this should hand out five or six awards—Participation, Excellence, something to boost morale.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a student’s spirit form drooping weakly. Clearly injured during the match. Out of habit, Su Cha asked, “Classmate, need some help—”
Before he could finish, the student replied at lightning speed: “Your weary expression pains me. Please don’t push yourself for me.”
A day earlier, that student had called for emergency rescue and lost eligibility. Upon exiting, he’d seen the live broadcast… and witnessed Su Cha turning a majestic white tiger into a pudgy pig.
Terrifying. Truly terrifying.
