Volume One, Chapter Two: Everyone Looks Like an Experience Bar

“You damned Lin Da Hu!”
“You think you’re tough now, huh? Daring to hit me with a shovel?”
Ma Da Lu erupted in fury: “I’ll kill you!”
“Looking for trouble!”
Lin Hu was startled by the sudden rush of fists. Instinctively, he sidestepped and swung his arm again in a wide arc.
Bang!
Aah—
When it came to real fighting, Ma Da Lu was far from skilled. That blow sent stars spinning before his eyes, flipping him to the ground.
The commotion drew the neighbors out to watch, murmuring and pointing, but Lin Hu paid them no mind.
Because he saw another mysterious window drifting before his eyes:
[You deftly counterattacked the village tyrant with a punch. Arm Strength Skill proficiency +3!]
Lin Hu didn’t react at first, but the next window made him gasp.
“Damn!”
“Did I awaken some kind of superpower?”
“Arm Strength!”
“So literally, if it levels up, I’ll get stronger?”
“And all I need to level up is proficiency? That’s just grinding!”
“Compared to the humiliation of my past life, this is nothing.”
Clenching his fists tightly, Lin Hu could hardly believe it.
Just then, the villagers, seeing the two local bullies at each other’s throats, began whispering.
“Look at those two. Ma Da Lu kicked Widow Li’s door last night, and today Tiger’s knocked his teeth out. Maybe Widow Li slipped Tiger something.”
“Is Lin Hu any better? In broad daylight, he dragged young Liu Ying into his house. The girl’s too young to know better… Such a waste.”
“It’s just dogs biting dogs. If you ask me, the fewer of these troublemakers, the better. Saves us from their daily rampage!”
“You women should watch your tongues. Tiger’s not bad at heart—he’s just been led astray by Ma Da Lu and his crowd,” sighed Grandpa Zhao, leaning on his cane.
Just then, the hunter Li Jianbing passed by the gate, shotgun slung over his shoulder.
“Hey, Ma Da Lu, you act tough in the village, but in a real fight you’re nothing. You can’t even beat Lin Hu, and you want to join me in the woods to hunt bear?”
“Uncle, don’t look down on me!”
Stung by humiliation, Ma Da Lu sprang up again, “You orphaned bastard, dare to hit me? I’ll kill you today.”
Yaha—
“You dare mention my parents!”

“I’ll kill you first, then deal with your father!”
Ma Da Lu lunged.
Lin Hu anticipated his trajectory.
Slap—
A heavy left-handed slap.
Then a fierce right punch, smashing into his face without mercy.
The death of his parents was Lin Hu’s greatest sore point. He’d never spare any of the Ma family.
Aah—
Ma Da Lu fell backward, blood spraying from his nose like free red ink, soaking his clothes.
[You defended against the village tyrant’s attack, countered with a slap. Arm Strength Skill proficiency +2!]
[You pressed your advantage with a punch. Arm Strength Skill proficiency +4!]
“Huh?”
Seeing the floating window, Lin Hu’s confidence soared.
So it’s true.
The increase in proficiency depends on several factors:
Motivation.
Focus.
Technique.
He only vaguely understood it now, not yet systematically summarized.
But the thrill of it already made his blood boil.
He’d intended to settle accounts, but Ma Da Lu brought him proficiency himself—he couldn’t be blamed for being ruthless.
Who told him to act like a beast!
Ha—
Lin Hu, wild-eyed, charged again!
The crowd exploded in shock.
“Lin Old Nine’s gone mad! Ma Da Lu’s bleeding and Tiger’s still hitting him—what feud is this?”
“What a disaster! These kids used to stop once blood was drawn. Today, they’re out for blood!”
Zhao’s second wife covered her child’s eyes in fright: “Look! Ma Da Lu’s face is a bloody gourd. If this keeps up, someone’s going to die!”
Just then,
Captain Wang Defa burst out at the gate, “What’re you women watching for? And you men, just standing around, making things worse. Break it up! If the commune sees this, you’ll all end up behind bars!”
Everyone knew Wang Defa feared someone might die—he’d be held responsible as captain.
…
Lin Hu heard none of this.

[Your valor has reached an eight-hit combo. Arm Strength Skill proficiency +30!]
The floating notification was golden.
Thirty experience points flashed, making his temples throb and his veins surge like electric currents.
Only a hundred proficiency to level up.
Just a bit more!
He straddled Ma Da Lu’s chest, raining blows down, his knuckles scraping over cheekbones and splattering blood onto his chin.
Hatred and longing for strength drove him into frenzy.
Punch after punch.
Blow after blow.
Each carried guilt and longing for his parents.
“Oh Lord, stop! If you keep hitting, someone will die!”
“Tiger brother, let go! Enough!”
A dark-skinned boy named Black Egg, a slingshot hanging from his neck, was first to rush and cling to Lin Hu’s arm.
Black Egg’s thin arm bulged with veins as he desperately pulled Lin Hu back: “Tiger brother, stop! If you keep hitting, something bad will happen!”
Just then,
Ma Da Lu’s two cousins rushed over, cursing, grabbing his arms and legs.
“Damn you, Lin Da Hu, you’ve lost your mind! Let go of him!”
“Damn you!”
Now Lin Hu saw everyone as experience points, wild-eyed, ready to fight Li Er Mai Tai.
“Everyone, stop!”
Wang Defa, as the village captain, had many supporters. His shout brought a dozen men to intervene, finally restraining the crazed Lin Hu.
As they left, Li Er Mai Tai spat bloody saliva, “Lin Da Hu, just you wait! If we don’t avenge today’s humiliation, my whole family will take your name!”
The crowd parted, watching Ma Da Lu carried away, blood trailing on the dark earth like a headless red snake, sending chills down their spines.
“This isn’t a fight—it’s murder… Tiger’s eyes aren’t human, like a she-wolf protecting her cubs in the mountains.”
“Maybe he’s possessed? Last night, I was peeing by the wall and saw something flash by—maybe a yellow fox spirit took him over…”
“Aiya, Second Aunt, spit and take it back, don’t scare me—I’m fearful!”
Grandpa Zhao stroked his beard and sighed, “Looks like his parents’ death is the thorn in Tiger’s heart. He must have some clue about their tragic end…”
…
“Let me go!”
When Lin Hu saw Ma Da Lu carried away, it felt like the duck at his mouth had flown off. Without the temptation, his mind gradually cleared.
Wang Defa looked at Lin Hu, still radiating tigerish energy, and shook his head helplessly: “You—do you still think it’s five years ago, with your parents and eight sisters protecting you… You’d better hope Ma Da Lu’s all right, or you won’t survive in this village!”