I maxed out the Scholar talent at the start, but I want to be a Warrior.

Gu Cheng, supporting himself against the wall, slowly made his way to the door.

With each step, it felt like my ribs were being hit with a hammer.

The internal injuries caused by the fall were far more serious than he had imagined. The 22 physique displayed on the screen was no joke—the maximum of all attributes for an ordinary person is 50, and he was now less than half of that.

But he had to go out.

It's not because of bravery.

It's because he just killed someone.

The barbarian cavalryman's corpse lay behind him, a charred hole between his eyebrows, his eyes still open.

Gu Cheng had no time to feel disgusted or afraid—the killings were still happening outside, and if he continued to lie there, he might be the next one to fall to the ground.

He stepped across the threshold and into the night.

fire.

Fire was everywhere.

Anle Village is small, with about a hundred households lined up along the foot of the mountain, and a stone-paved road connecting the two gates of the village, one to the north and one to the south.

At this moment, flames soared into the sky from the direction of the North Gate, and several houses had been set ablaze, with flames licking at the eaves and crackling loudly.

The stone-paved road was filled with chaotic crowds.

The woman carrying the child ran towards the south gate, the old man stumbled along with his cane, and the young men rushed towards the north gate with hoes and machetes in hand.

Some people were crying, some were shouting, and some were trampled to death by horses and never got up again.

Gu Cheng leaned against a low wall and scanned the area with his probe—

There are only about 50 able-bodied people left.

There were 80 just now.

More than twenty people died.

Gu Cheng gritted his teeth and continued moving towards the North Gate.

He knew that going to the battlefield in his current state would be suicide.

With a constitution of 22 and strength of 18, even a barbarian soldier could cut him down with a single blow.

But he had throwing knives—three throwing knives, which, although not very powerful, should be enough to kill a lone barbarian soldier.

The key is to find those who are alone.

He walked close to the wall, trying to avoid the firelight and using the shadows to cover himself.

A semi-transparent light screen floated at the edge of the field of vision, marking the positions of nearby barbarian cavalry.

Fifteen steps to the right front, one.

Twenty steps directly ahead, there are two.

Ten steps to the left rear—

The sound of horses' hooves.

Gu Cheng suddenly turned around.

A barbarian cavalryman was charging out of the alley, his scimitar dripping with blood, his hooves shattering the stone slabs.

He saw Gu Cheng, grinned, and spurred his horse straight over.

It was the same situation again, but this time he didn't panic.

It's not because he's not afraid—it's because he already knows what will happen when he's scared to the extreme.

focused.

Raise your right hand.

Three beams of cold light coalesced between the index and middle fingers.

He was thrown out.

Three throwing knives shot out in a fan shape.

The first blade pierced the barbarian cavalryman's arm, and the scimitar flew out of his hand.

The second nail went into the horse's neck.

The wild horse let out a miserable neigh, its front hooves rearing up high, and the rider's body leaned back, almost being thrown off.

The third shot went wide.

Gu Cheng's hands were trembling, and his severely injured body couldn't hold steady. The third throwing knife missed its target, grazed the cavalryman's ear, and embedded itself in the wall behind him.

The cavalryman steadied himself, his face filled with shock and anger.

He looked down at the charred hole in his arm, then at the smoking wound on the horse's neck, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

But he did not back down.

He drew the short sword from his waist, spurred his horse, and charged forward at full speed.

On Gu Cheng's screen, the icon for the Flying Dagger went dark, and a line of small text appeared next to it—

[Flying Dagger (Tier 1): On cooldown. Remaining cooldown time: approximately 15 minutes.]

It's not that I lack the willpower—it's that my skills are cooling down.

Even a barbarian cavalryman who has lost his weapon is still ten times stronger than this seriously injured boy.

Gu Cheng turned and ran.

He can't run fast.

My ribs were screaming, my legs were going weak, and every step felt like stepping on a knife's edge.

But his survival instinct caused him to unleash a speed that shouldn't belong to a physique of 22.

The alley was too narrow for the wild horses to squeeze through. The cavalrymen dismounted and chased after them, short swords in hand.

Gu Cheng turned a corner and saw a half-open door.

He rushed in, slammed the door shut behind him, and used his body to block it.

"Bang!"

The dagger struck the door panel, sending wood chips flying.

"Bang! Bang!"

Second knife.

The third cut.

The door was trembling; it would shatter if struck a couple more times.

Gu Cheng looked around—this was a kitchen, and there was a kitchen knife on the stove.

He grabbed the kitchen knife and retreated to the corner.

The door was broken.

Barbarian cavalry charged in.

He was a head taller than Gu Cheng, with broad shoulders and a muscular build. Even without the aid of a horse, his physique alone could overwhelm a fifteen-year-old boy.

He saw the kitchen knife in Gu Cheng's hand, sneered, and approached with the short knife in hand.

Gu Cheng's hands were trembling.

But he did not back down.

It's not that I don't want to retreat—it's that there's already a wall behind me.

A barbarian cavalryman swung his sword, but Gu Cheng dodged to the side and slashed wildly with his cleaver.

The blade grazed the other person's forearm, leaving a shallow bloodstain.

not enough.

Far from enough.

The barbarian cavalryman swung his elbow back, striking Gu Cheng in the chest.

"Click."

One of my ribs is broken.

Gu Cheng was sent flying, crashing into the stove, and the kitchen knife slipped from his hand.

He opened his mouth wide to try to inhale, but it felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his chest, and he couldn't breathe in anything.

Barbarian cavalrymen walked over, carrying short swords, and looked down at him.

There was no anger, not even murderous intent, in his eyes.

Only indifference.

Like the indifference before stepping on an ant.

Gu Cheng lay on the ground, staring at the falling dagger.

He suddenly remembered Gu Chang'an.

Despite being plagued by inner demons and having diminished combat power, he still stood at the forefront, spear in hand.

He recalled those young men—their legs were trembling, but not one of them retreated.

He remembered the original owner's parents, who had died ten years ago along with their family in battle against the barbarian invaders.

Of the entire Gu family's direct descendants, some died in battle, others succumbed to illness, leaving only the uncle and nephew to depend on each other in the end.

He remembered the villagers who had been hacked down, the burning houses, and the crying children.

The fear remains.

But there is something heavier than fear.

The screen lit up.

This isn't a system notification—it's the probe running automatically.

He saw the message above the heads of the barbarian cavalry—

[Barbarian Scout (Pawn)] [Constitution: 42] [Strength: 38] [Spirit: 15]

Spirit 15.

Gu Cheng's lips twitched slightly.

A barbarian soldier with a Spirit of 15 faces himself with a Spirit of 69—the higher the Spirit, the faster the reaction speed, the sharper the perception, and the deeper the understanding of the scholar's skills.

He no longer has throwing knives.

But he still had to investigate.

Exploration can reveal the enemy's weaknesses.

Gu Cheng's gaze swept quickly over the barbarian cavalry.

The investigation didn't directly mark the weaknesses, but it provided precise numerical values—Constitution 42, an old scar on the left shoulder; Strength 38, right-handed knife grip, dominant hand; Spirit 15, reaction speed far slower than his own.

The barbarian cavalry's daggers fell to the ground.

Gu Cheng didn't dodge—he couldn't dodge anymore.

He did the only thing he could do.

He extended his right hand and precisely seized the barbarian cavalryman's wrist as he gripped his sword.

It's not about strength.

It's all about spirit.

His extraordinary perception, granted by his mental strength of 69, allowed him to accurately predict the point, angle, and speed of the short knife's impact.

Just before the blade touched the skin, his fingers gripped the other person's pulse point.

The barbarian cavalryman was taken aback.

Just this once.

Gu Cheng grabbed the iron pot from the stove with his left hand and smashed it hard against his face.

"Bang!"

The iron pot is deformed.

The barbarian cavalrymen staggered backward, their noses collapsing and blood gushing out.

Gu Cheng rolled over and got up, grabbed the kitchen knife from the ground, and slashed it across the back of the barbarian cavalryman's neck.

It wasn't some kind of exquisite swordsmanship.

It was a desperate, haphazard strike.

The blade sank two inches in and got stuck in the cervical vertebrae.

The barbarian cavalrymen froze.

He slowly turned his head, looked at Gu Cheng, and finally, emotion appeared in his eyes—

It's not fear.

I don't understand.

He couldn't understand how a severely injured teenager with a physical constitution of 22 could kill him.

Then he collapsed.

Gu Chengsong opened the kitchen knife and collapsed to the ground.

He was panting heavily.

Every breath carried the stench of blood.

He had a broken rib, and his left arm was injured at some point. He looked like he had been pulled out of a pool of blood.

On the screen, the icon for the Flying Dagger was still dark—it was still cooling down.

He looked down at his hands—they were trembling, but not from fear.

It's because of excitement.

In that instant, when he grabbed the barbarian cavalryman's wrist, he felt something he had never felt before.

It's not the overwhelming feeling that comes from strength.

It's the sense of control that comes from the mind.

In that instant, the other person's movements slowed down in his eyes.

The trajectory, force, and landing point of the short knife were all so clear that it was as if they had been slowed down ten times.

This feeling... like bullet time.

But then another thought came to mind.

He looked down at his control panel—

[Warrior Skill: None]

If I had warrior skills, I wouldn't have been in such a sorry state just now.

They could also be like Gu Chang'an, taking down enemies one by one, swiftly and decisively.

Now he can only resort to sneak attacks with throwing knives, smashing faces with iron pots, and slashing the back of the neck with kitchen knives.

Although we won.

But he still envied the exhilarating feeling of mounting a gun, charging into battle.

He sighed.

With a talent cap of 100 in Spirit, a scholar should have all their talent points maxed out.

But he just didn't want to leave.

"boom--"

A loud bang interrupted his thoughts.

A deafening battle cry erupted from the direction of the North Gate, more intense than ever before.

Gu Cheng struggled to his feet, leaned against the wall, walked to the door, and looked outside.

The firelight suddenly doubled in brightness from the direction of the north gate.

It wasn't the house burning—something was glowing.

Gu Cheng narrowed his eyes and scanned the north gate with his probe—

[Gu Chang'an] [Status Update: Suppressing Inner Demons (Temporary)] [Combat Power Decrease: 30% → 15%] [Trigger Reason: Intense Emotional Fluctuation]

The combat power reduction has been reduced from 30% to 15%.

Gu Cheng's eyes widened.

What's going on? Has Uncle Cheap suddenly become powerful?

Then he saw it—Gu Chang'an was standing in front of the North Gate, his spear on the ground, trembling all over.

They trembled not from fear, but from anger.

At his feet lay the corpse of a barbarian cavalryman.

A charred hole between his eyebrows.

His gaze was fixed on a collapsed wall and a room that had been smashed to pieces.

That was Gu Cheng's room.

Gu Cheng wasn't inside.

Gu Chang'an's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

Ten years ago, he failed to save his brother's family.

His father died in battle, his mother died in battle, his brother and sister-in-law died in battle, and the entire Gu family, consisting of dozens of direct descendants, was reduced to only him and a five-year-old nephew overnight.

That night, his hair turned completely white.

The inner demon was planted that night—not out of fear of death, but out of fear of losing everything again.

He spent ten years raising this nephew.

Now, the room contains only the corpse of a barbarian and broken bricks scattered on the floor.

Where is Gu Cheng?

He turned around to face the swarming barbarian cavalry, and the look in his eyes changed.

The spear gleamed with an unprecedented light.

It wasn't the faint glow of the Broken Army Spear, but rather a layer of almost visible energy wrapped around the spear tip, like a burning meteor.

He thrust out his spear, the tip slicing through the night sky, leaving a trail of afterimages.

Three barbarian cavalrymen fell at the same time.

It wasn't that he was pierced through—it was that he was swept by the gunfire, and a bloody hole exploded in his chest.

The young men and women around them were stunned.

The barbarian cavalry were also stunned.

Gu Chang'an did not stop.

Each shot took away two or three enemies; the gunfire swept across, causing barbarian men and horses to fall wherever it passed.

Like a tiger driven to the brink of despair, he unleashed unparalleled power at that moment.

The barbarian cavalry finally panicked.

"Retreat! Retreat!" roared a leading barbarian centurion in a barbarian language. "This man is not normal!"

The cavalrymen began to retreat.

But Gu Chang'an didn't give them a chance—he picked up his gun and chased after them, each shot hitting the fleeing men precisely in the back.

Gu Cheng got goosebumps all over his body as he watched this scene.

This is what a warrior is.

That's so cool! I want to look like that too!

It's not about hiding in the shadows and throwing knives, nor is it about risking your life with iron pots and kitchen knives—it's about standing openly on the battlefield and taking down all the enemies with a single shot.

He looked down at his right hand.

The throwing knife had dissipated, but a trace of coolness remained on my fingertips.

Scribes skills.

What he awakened was the skill of a scholar.

Gu Cheng took a deep breath and suppressed his resentment.

Now is not the time to think about these things.

He leaned against the wall and walked step by step toward the north gate.