Night.
Academy dormitory.
Lin Feng sat on his bed.
Not resting.
His eyes were closed.
But his awareness—
Was not here.
Inside his mind—
The scene kept shifting.
Forest.
Monsters.
Flames.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Continuous explosions!
The Fire Spirit was still fighting.
And—
It hadn't stopped.
"You're still not done?"
Lin Feng spoke softly.
A trace of helplessness in his voice.
"Not even close."
The Fire Spirit replied.
Cold.
"This amount isn't enough."
Lin Feng opened his eyes.
He glanced outside.
It was already deep into the night.
"You're not tired?"
A brief silence.
Then—
"Tired."
The Fire Spirit answered directly.
Lin Feng paused.
"Then why keep going?"
"Recovery is too slow."
The Fire Spirit replied calmly.
"Fighting is faster."
Lin Feng: "…"
So you're treating combat as recovery?
At that moment—
In the vision—
A monster suddenly rushed in from the side!
Extremely fast!
Lin Feng's pupils shrank.
"Watch out!"
But the Fire Spirit didn't react.
The fireball paused midair.
Then—
Turned instantly!
The angle was extremely precise!
Boom!
Direct hit!
The monster fell before it could even approach.
"Too slow."
The Fire Spirit said calmly.
"That kind of attack isn't a threat."
Lin Feng fell silent.
He had realized something.
The Fire Spirit's combat style—
Was changing.
It wasn't just attacking anymore.
It was—
Predicting.
At that moment—
A notification appeared again.
[Fireball Proficiency Increased][Current Level: Lv6]
Lin Feng's eyes sharpened.
"It leveled up again?"
"Normal."
The Fire Spirit replied calmly.
"Still not enough."
Lin Feng said nothing.
He simply watched.
In the vision—
The flames kept moving.
Faster.
Smoother.
Even—
Turning before attacks happened.
Locking targets early.
As if calculating.
"What are you calculating?"
Lin Feng asked.
The Fire Spirit paused.
Then answered:
"Paths."
"Shortest path."
"Lowest consumption path."
Lin Feng felt a shock.
It had already begun—
Optimizing routes.
This wasn't just combat.
This was—
An algorithm.
At that moment—
The image flickered.
The flames dimmed slightly.
Lin Feng frowned.
"Overused?"
"Still fine."
The Fire Spirit's voice weakened slightly.
But remained calm.
"I can still fight."
Lin Feng sighed.
"You'll collapse like this."
This time—
The Fire Spirit didn't argue.
It stayed silent.
After a few seconds—
It spoke.
Very low.
"I can't stop."
Lin Feng paused.
"Why?"
A brief silence.
Then—
The Fire Spirit said slowly:
"If I stop—"
"I'll be surpassed."
Lin Feng didn't say anything.
At that moment—
He realized something.
The Fire Spirit's desire to grow—
Was no longer just instinct.
It was—
Obsession.