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**Beijing, Dragon Empire Alliance, June 14, 2045**
Lin Feng sprinted across the school courtyard, dodging a drone delivering glowing [Spirit Buns] from Fatty Wang's dorm. Xiaohuo, his Flame-Tailed Drakeling, clung to his shoulder, grumbling, "Slow down, human! I'm not a backpack!" Sparks flew from the dragon's mouth, nearly igniting Lin's hair.
"Complain later, you pyro!" Lin panted, checking his **F-Rank Dungeon Pass** and **Mystery Egg** tucked in his pack. The egg's red-gold veins pulsed, now at 10% hatch progress, teasing a new dragon. His points sat at **2700**, tempting him to hatch it, but he needed Level 10 or 1000 Points spent wisely. Tomorrow's ranking match was his focus—win it, and he'd cement his rep for the **Global College Entrance Trials**.
His stats flashed:
**[Status: Lin Feng, Level 6]**
- **Stats**: Strength 25 (20 +5 from Iron Bracer), Agility 22, Intelligence 19, Vitality 15, Luck 13
- **Skills**: [Dragon Bond Lv. 1], [Dragon Claw Strike Lv. 1], [Celestial Evasion Lv. 1], [Dragon Roar Lv. 1], [Dragon Scale Armor Lv. 1]
- **Pet**: Xiaohuo (Flame-Tailed Drakeling, Level 6, Evolves at Level 10, Skills: Ember Shot Lv. 2, Drake Slash Lv. 2, Flame Pulse Lv. 2, Fire Wing Slash Lv. 1)
- **System Points**: 2700
- **Inventory**: Mystery Egg, Alpha Fang, Crimson Pelt, Wolf Pelts x5, Rat Tail Bundle x3, Mana Shards x3, Shadowclaw Claw, Iron Bracer, Flame Drake Talisman (+10% Fire Skill Damage), Mana Vial
The [System]'s quest blared: **[Quest: Win Next Ranking Match. Reward: 500 System Points, Random Skill Shard, +5% Mystery Egg Hatch Progress. Deadline: June 18, 2045. Penalty: Xiaohuo Steals Your Snacks.]**
"No snack theft, you greedy lizard," Lin muttered, dodging Xiaohuo's playful spark.
Xiaohuo smirked. "Keep me fed, or your chips are ash."
Fatty Wang and Su Mei caught up, panting. Fatty's spatula glowed, stuffed with [Spirit Buns] (+3 Vitality). "Feng, you're late! Instructor Zhang's gonna roast us worse than Xiaohuo's flames!"
Su Mei, **Mana Weaver**, adjusted her glasses, aura flickering. "Li Hao's team trained with a **Silver Fang Guild** mentor. They've got new gear and skills. Don't underestimate them."
Lin grinned, twirling his dagger. "Hair Gel's got fancy toys? I've got a dragon and zero chill. Let's roll."
The [System] chimed: **[Host, Silver Fang Guild is no joke. Li Hao's mentor is a B-Rank hunter. Don't trip into a fireball this time.]**
"Trip? That's strategy," Lin shot back, sprinting to the arena.
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**Ranking Match Arena: Chaos Unleashed**
The coliseum roared with students, drones broadcasting the match live. Holographic screens displayed the leaderboard: Lin's team ranked third, Li Hao's second. The top prize—500 trial points—could secure Lin's spot at **Celestial Dragon Academy**. Instructor Zhang, gripping his **Thunderstrike Halberd**, announced, "Today's match: two rounds! First, clear a randomized monster gauntlet. Then, top four teams face off in PvP. No mercy!"
Lin's team—himself, Fatty, Su Mei—faced a holographic jungle arena, vines dripping with mana. The first gauntlet wave spawned: 20 **Gloom Rats**, Level 4, swarming like a furry plague. Lin activated [Dragon Bond Lv. 1], Xiaohuo's senses sharpening his own. "Light 'em up!"
Xiaohuo's [Flame Pulse Lv. 2] erupted, a fiery AOE torching six rats (-80 HP each). Su Mei's [Mana Thread Lv. 1] boosted Xiaohuo's speed, letting him spam [Ember Shot Lv. 2], popping rats like firecrackers (-60 HP). Lin dove in, [Dragon Scale Armor] glowing (+10% Defense), and slashed with [Dragon Claw Strike], shredding three rats. Fatty's [Spicy Toss Lv. 1] stunned the rest, their sneezes echoing as Lin's [Dragon Roar] finished them (-50 HP).
**[EXP +40. Level 6: 415/600 EXP. Loot: Rat Tail Bundle x2]**.
Wave two brought six **Ironfang Wolves**, Level 5, snarling with metal-gray fur. Lin's [Dragon Roar] staggered them, and Xiaohuo's [Fire Wing Slash Lv. 1] crit-sliced a wolf (-100 HP). Su Mei's buffs kept Lin's Agility high, letting him dodge bites with [Celestial Evasion]. Fatty, bolder, smacked a wolf with [Iron Pan Strike Lv. 2] (-70 HP), shouting, "Eat spatula, Fido!"
A wolf lunged at Fatty, but Lin's [Dragon Scale Armor] tanked the bite (-15 HP, Total: 85/100). He retaliated with [Dragon Claw Strike], gutting it. The pack fell fast, dropping **Wolf Pelts x4** and 80 EXP. **[EXP +80. Level 6: 495/600 EXP]**.
The final wave was a D-Rank **Bloodvine Serpent**, Level 7, 700 HP, its scales glinting red, weak to fire. It slithered, spitting [Venom Spray Lv. 1]. Lin dodged with [Celestial Evasion], shouting, "Su Mei, buff Xiaohuo! Fatty, sauce it!"
Su Mei's [Mana Thread] boosted Xiaohuo's fire damage (+15%), while Fatty's [Spicy Toss] coated the serpent, reducing its accuracy. Xiaohuo's [Flame Pulse] + [Ember Shot] combo scorched its scales (-200 HP). Lin used [Dragon Roar] to stun it, then tossed Xiaohuo like a flaming dart. The drakeling's [Fire Wing Slash] crit, slashing its eyes (-150 HP). Lin's [Dragon Claw Strike] carved its underbelly (-120 HP), and Fatty's spatula sealed the deal (-80 HP).
The serpent collapsed, dropping a **Serpent Fang** and 130 EXP. **[EXP +130. Level Up! Lin Feng, Level 7]**
- **Stats**: Strength 27 (22 +5), Agility 24, Intelligence 20, Vitality 16, Luck 14
- **Xiaohuo Level Up! Level 7, Skill Upgrade: Fire Wing Slash Lv. 2 [+15% Crit Chance]**
The crowd roared, "Dragon Tamer!" Lin's team ranked second, neck-and-neck with Li Hao's. The PvP round loomed.
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**PvP Showdown: Tamer vs. Warlock**
The arena shifted to a rocky wasteland, four teams facing off: Lin's, Li Hao's, an A-Rank **Storm Archer** team, and a B-Rank **Earth Shielder** squad. Rules: last team standing wins. Lin spotted Li Hao's new gear—a **Flameweave Cloak** (+10% Fire Damage)—and his mentor, a **Silver Fang Guild** B-Rank hunter, smirking in the stands.
"Fancy cloak, Hair Gel!" Lin called. "Compensating for something?"
Li Hao's eyes blazed. "I'll burn you to ash, Trash Tamer!"
The [System] pinged: **[Side Quest: Troll Li Hao into a Mistake. Reward: 300 System Points, Random Loot. Penalty: Li Hao Lands a Critical Hit.]**
The match exploded. The **Storm Archer** team fired [Wind Barrage Lv. 2], arrows slicing the air. Lin's [Dragon Scale Armor] tanked a hit (-20 HP), while Su Mei's [Mana Thread] boosted his speed. The **Earth Shielder** team raised [Stone Wall Lv. 2], blocking attacks. Li Hao's [Blaze Spear Lv. 1] pierced the wall (-100 HP), but Chen Wei took an arrow (-50 HP).
Lin moved fast, tossing Xiaohuo like a flaming boomerang. The drakeling's [Fire Wing Slash Lv. 2] crit-sliced an archer (-80 HP), while Lin's [Dragon Roar] stunned the Earth Shielders. Fatty's [Spicy Toss] blinded an archer, letting Su Mei's buffs amplify Xiaohuo's [Flame Pulse] (-90 HP AOE). The archer team fell first, overwhelmed.
Zhao Min's [Shadow Stab Lv. 2] grazed Lin (-25 HP, Total: 60/110). He retaliated with [Celestial Evasion], dodging her follow-up, and used [Dragon Claw Strike] to knock her out (-70 HP). Chen Wei charged, hammer swinging, but Lin's [Dragon Scale Armor] absorbed it (-15 HP). Fatty's [Iron Pan Strike] clonked Chen Wei's helmet (-60 HP), making him stumble.
Li Hao, enraged, unleashed [Flame Vortex Lv. 1], a new skill from his mentor—a fiery tornado. Lin taunted, "Nice blender, Hair Gel! Blend me a smoothie!" He "tripped," bumping Chen Wei into the vortex's path (-80 HP). The crowd roared with laughter, and Li Hao's focus broke, his spell fizzling.
"Xiaohuo, now!" Lin tossed the drakeling, who spun into [Flame Pulse] + [Fire Wing Slash], a fiery storm slamming Li Hao (-100 HP). Lin's [Dragon Claw Strike] finished him, knocking him out (-70 HP). The Earth Shielders, low on mana, surrendered.
**[Side Quest Completed! Reward: 300 System Points, Random Loot - Swift Boots (+5 Agility)]**
**[Quest Completed: Win Ranking Match. Reward: 500 System Points, Skill Shard - Dragon Flame Burst Lv. 1 (Ranged fire AOE), +5% Mystery Egg Hatch Progress]**
Lin's team took first, earning 500 trial points. The crowd chanted, "Dragon Tamer!" Li Hao, revived by medics, stormed off, his mentor glaring from the stands.
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**Post-Match Hype**
In the cafeteria, Fatty's [Spirit Noodles] (+5 Agility) fueled the celebration. Su Mei smirked, "You're a lunatic, Feng. Tripping Chen Wei into Li Hao's spell? Genius."
Lin equipped the **Swift Boots**, boosting Agility to 29. "It's called strategy, Specs." Xiaohuo, munching noodles, muttered, "Strategy, my tail. You're just clumsy."
Lin's points hit **3500**, and the **Mystery Egg** reached 15% hatch progress. The new skill, [Dragon Flame Burst Lv. 1], promised a fiery AOE for Xiaohuo. "Three more levels or 1000 Points, and we meet your sibling," Lin told Xiaohuo, who sparked jealously.
Fatty whispered, "That Silver Fang mentor looked pissed. Li Hao's gonna pull something dirty."
Su Mei nodded. "Guilds don't like upstarts. Stay sharp, Feng."
The [System] chimed: **[New Quest: Clear Two F-Rank Dungeons by June 21. Reward: 800 System Points, Random Dragon Skill Shard, +15% Mystery Egg Hatch Progress. Deadline: June 21, 2045. Penalty: Xiaohuo Burns Your Bed.]**
Lin laughed, tossing Xiaohuo a noodle. "Burn my bed, and you're sleeping outside."
Xiaohuo smirked. "Try me, human."
As Beijing's neon lights blazed, Lin felt the heat. The trials, Li Hao's schemes, and the **Silver Fang Guild** loomed. His **Immortal-Rank Talent** was a secret weapon, but the [System]'s hints about the **Level 1000 Gods** nagged. For now, he'd dive into dungeons, troll his rivals, and tame the apocalypse.
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