The dormitory corridor was unusually quiet that evening.
Most students were still celebrating the end of the elimination round or gathering in groups to discuss the upcoming knockout stage. Laughter and excited voices drifted faintly through the open courtyard outside the building.
But here, on the dormitory floor, the air felt calm.
Lin Yi had just stepped into the corridor when he noticed the figure leaning against the wall near the window.
Soft evening light stread through the glass, illuminating her silhouette.
Long hair.
Slender fra.
A faintly nervous posture.
Liu Ling.
She straightened slightly the mont she saw him.
For a brief second, their eyes t.
Then Liu Ling gave a small smile.
"Lin Yi..."
Her voice was gentle, almost hesitant.
"...I was waiting for you."
Lin Yi stopped a few steps away from her.
"You were waiting?"
Liu Ling nodded quickly. "Yes." She clasped her hands lightly in front of her, fingers interlocking and separating again as if she wasn’t sure what to do with them. "I thought you might co back around this ti."
Lin Yi glanced briefly down the corridor before returning his gaze to her.
"Did sothing happen?"
"No... nothing like that." Her eyes lowered slightly before lifting again. "I just wanted to talk."
Lin Yi didn’t imdiately respond, but he didn’t leave either. Seeing that, Liu Ling relaxed slightly.
"Our match today." Her eyes drifted toward him again. "You were very fast."
"Just a movent skill."
She shook her head gently. "It wasn’t just that." She hesitated slightly before continuing. "I couldn’t even react. Before I realized what had happened... I was already on the ground."
Lin Yi didn’t comnt. Liu Ling looked down briefly, then back at him.
"But that’s not why I ca."
"Then why?"
Her expression changed slightly, the earlier lightness fading from her face.
"I saw Wang Hao’s match."
Lin Yi’s eyes narrowed a fraction.
"...I did too."
Liu Ling nodded slowly, her voice softening.
"He looked badly hurt."
For a mont the quiet corridor held nothing but the faint sound of wind brushing the window outside.
Then she spoke again.
"I could have helped."
"What do you an?"
"I’m a recovery priest." She lowered her gaze. "But I can’t do much yet. I only know basic recovery spells." A small, slightly embarrassed smile crossed her face. "The nurses and senior healers at the academy are lifestyle classes specialized in dical support. They can use advanced healing." Her voice grew quieter. "But I can’t."
"I saw them take Wang Hao to the infirmary," Lin Yi said.
"Yes." She added softly, "If I had stronger healing skills... maybe I could have helped him sooner."
Lin Yi shook his head slightly.
"That’s not your responsibility."
Liu Ling looked up at him.
"But it still feels frustrating." Her expression carried a quiet sincerity. "I awakened as a recovery priest, and I decided that it was my duty to help people. And yet when soone is really hurt..." Her voice trailed off.
"He’ll be fine," Lin Yi said. "The academy dics are experienced. They won’t let a student die from tournant injuries."
Liu Ling nodded slowly.
"I know." She looked down again. "But still... I didn’t like seeing him like that."
Lin Yi understood what she ant.
Even in a hunter academy, violence had a different weight when it happened to soone you knew.
Liu Ling hesitated for a mont before speaking again.
"Wang Hao seems like a good friend," she said.
"He is."
Liu Ling nodded.
"He talked about you a lot after the qualification round. He seed very proud of you."
Lin Yi remained silent.
She shifted slightly where she stood.
"The doctors will take care of him." She paused briefly. "He should wake up by tomorrow."
"That’s good," Lin Yi said, giving her a Small nod.
Liu Ling studied his expression for a mont.
"You shouldn’t let it weigh on you too much tonight."
Then, For a mont neither of them spoke. But Liu Ling suddenly straightened.
"Well... I should go."
"So suddenly?" Lin Yi asked, courtesy.
She gave an embarrassed laugh.
"I actually left sothing unfinished in my dorm."
"Alright," Lin Yi nodded.
Liu Ling took a few steps toward the corridor exit, her footsteps gradually faded.
Soon the corridor was quiet again. And Lin Yi stood there for a mont before turning toward his room.
...
The dorm door opened with a soft click, as the room was dimly lit by the evening sky filtering through the window, and Lin Yi walked inside and closed the door behind him. The quiet felt heavier than the hallway.
He walked to the desk and picked up the water bottle sitting there. After a long sip, he exhaled slowly, his eyes drifting toward the window. Outside, the distant outline of the city wall stood against the darkening sky, and beyond it, the wilderness.
Lin Yi set the bottle down. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"A week before the knockout stage..." His voice was calm. "But that’s more than enough."
Minimum effort. Maximum reward.
That was the rule his system lived by, and Lin Yi had no intention of wasting it. His eyes sharpened slightly.
"Tang Yue."
The na left his lips quietly. He wasn’t soone who chased revenge recklessly. But if soone crossed a line, repaynt was inevitable. His gaze dropped briefly. "Wang Hao..." Then he shook his head lightly. "No need to rush."
He walked back to the door. With the minimum effort, maximum reward, the fastest path to power was the wilderness and it’s waiting.
The dorm door opened once more.
A mont later—
A faint distortion appeared in the corridor.
[Phantom Void Step.]
Lin Yi’s figure vanished.
Reappearing at the end of the hallway.
Then disappearing again.
Each step blurred like a flash of wind.
Within seconds he was already outside the dorm building.
The night air brushed against his face as he crossed the academy courtyard. Students barely noticed the faint shadow moving across the ground.
Then—
Another step.
Another flash.
The academy walls appeared ahead, and with ti, the massive city walls beyond them.
Lin Yi stopped briefly at the top of the outer watchtower.
From here the wilderness stretched endlessly into darkness.
Dangerous.
Unpredictable.
Filled with monsters.
Lin Yi’s eyes glead faintly, and the next instant—
[Phantom Void Step.]
His figure vanished from the city wall, and streaked into the darkness of the wilderness.
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