This Setup Is Broken - This Setup Is Broken Chapter 13: Combat

Chi Haitian wants Bai Shi to kill a creature called the Sabertooth Wolf. It has a fierce appearance, with a dark blue body, and its kind can be found on many planets. Bai Shi guesses the name might have been lazily inspired by “sabertooth tiger” and immediately wants to bang his head against the wall. 

If that’s true, knowing the creators’ habits, they probably looked up some sabertooth tiger information. Then got inspired by it, and then used it on the wolf. “So, this is definitely not just an ordinary wolf, dammit!”

Bai Shi feels uneasy, his lips twitching as he looks at Chi Haitian. “Even if it were just an ordinary wolf, it would still be life-threatening for me to deal with it. But with this one…”

“Grandpa, are you really not going to reconsider? I’m still have a fresh, young life! You can’t destroy the seedlings!”

Chi Haitian glances at him, calmly asking: “Afraid?”

“Of course, I’m not a Super Saiyan who can transform at critical moments! How can I not be scared? I’ve never done anything this brutal in my entire life!” Bai Shi doesn’t answer, continuing to stare at him.

“Your combat skills have been trained well. Just apply what you’ve learned.” Chi Haitian observes the forest’s movements and starts explaining some practical techniques. 

He also introduces some facts about the Sabertooth Wolf. Seeing Bai Shi still staring blankly at him, he adds: “I’ll be watching from nearby.”

Bai Shi knows Chi Haitian isn’t simple, so he feels a tiny bit reassured, but then he hears the old man say: “However, I might not be able to get to you in time. Pay attention and don’t panic in emergencies.”

Bai Shi: “.…..”

“You just want me to have no illusions of safety so I’ll put in all my effort to kill it, right? The whole “can’t get to you in time” thing is definitely a lie, isn’t it? Please don’t scare me like this!”

After freezing in place for a while, Bai Shi knows he can’t escape. He takes a deep breath, telling himself to stay calm. He grips his dagger tightly, and follows Chi Haitian, observing the surrounding plants and animals.

From what he knows about Chi Haitian, if there’s combat training, this won’t be the only session. He’ll probably come here often, facing increasingly stronger animals, until he defeats some powerful boss.

Wait, animals? The final boss? Bai Shi suddenly pauses as a past conversation clicks in his mind.

He recalls seeing a discussion where people debated having a lion as the final boss, but complained that although lions are majestic, they feel they’re not much stronger than tigers, so it should be made harder.

Back then, Bai Shi had no idea what part of the plot they were talking about, but could it have been referring to this place? What did he say that time?

He said: “You could make it more challenging—like a lion with scales, immune to weapons except for a small patch of soft skin under its forehead. That’d increase the difficulty.”

Bai Shi: “.…..”

“No way! He swears he wasn’t joking when he made that suggestion, he was seriously offering advice. The group said they’d think about it, but didn’t confirm anything. Could it have come true?”

Feeling anxious, Bai Shi nervously asks: “Grandpa.”

“Hmm?”

“Are there other powerful animals here besides the wolf? Like, maybe a lion?”

Chi Haitian nods. “There’s a kind of Armored Lion. Its scales are so tough even knives can’t penetrate them. When you can defeat it, you’ll know you’ve truly mastered your training.”

Bai Shi: “……”

“Dammit, it really exists! So, everything he suggests, good or bad, comes true? Why did he ever volunteer to give advice? Why couldn’t he have kept his mouth shut?!”

Bai Shi tries reasoning, “Animals with such unique characteristics must be rare, right?”

“They’re not uncommon.”

“Grandpa, shouldn’t we consider protecting such creatures a little?” 

Chi Haitian, amused, gives him a stern look and says seriously: “No need. It’s not an endangered species.”

Bai Shi knows there’s no room for negotiation when it comes to Chi Haitian’s training plans, so he resigns himself with a blank expression, muttering an “okay”. He fully accepts his fate.

The forest is full of tall trees that have stood for years. Some are so large that it would take four or five people to circle them, their vast canopies blocking out the sky. 

As they go deeper, these giant trees become more common. Bai Shi looks around, praying that a wolf doesn’t suddenly jump out. He really doesn’t want to face one.

Wolves are pack animals, so it takes a while for Chi Haitian to find a lone one. When they finally encounter it face-to-face, the Sabertooth Wolf immediately arches its back, watching them warily.

Bai Shi feels like the wolf wants to leave, silently hoping it will. But just then, a small rock flies through the air, striking the wolf squarely on the forehead. The culprit then steps back and commands in a deep voice, “You can start now.”

Bai Shi: “……”

Before he has time to react, the enraged Sabertooth Wolf lets out a roar and charges at him. It leaps a massive distance in one bound, seemingly reaching him in the blink of an eye. Its huge mouth opens wide, with hot breath even palpable in the air.

Bai Shi’s pupils contract sharply. He quickly dodges to avoid the attack and at the same time slashes upward with his dagger, aiming for a stab. However, the Sabertooth Wolf is incredibly fast, its body already leaping over him. Bai Shi’s dagger only grazes its hind leg, leaving a shallow wound.

The wolf, which had initially aimed at Chi Haitian, now shifts its aggression fully onto Bai Shi. With a powerful kick-off from the ground, it roars and charges again.

Bai Shi quickly dodges, barely avoiding the wolf’s sharp teeth. He brings his dagger down in a swift slash, taking the opportunity to inflict another small wound. Then he steps back a few paces, putting some distance between them.

The Sabertooth Wolf, enraged, suddenly moves faster. At first, Bai Shi struggles to keep up, but after nearly a year of combat training, he soon adjusts to the wolf’s rhythm and learns its attack patterns. Finally, when it leaps at him again, Bai Shi dodges and leans back, thrusting his dagger forcefully into its throat.

Hot blood gushes out, covering most of his body in red. Bai Shi pushes the corpse aside, gasping for breath as he stares at it in disbelief. He can’t quite believe he’s done it. After a moment of silence, he looks over at Chi Haitian.

Chi Haitian studies him for a moment. The boy has only suffered minor injuries. Other than being pale and having slightly trembling hands, he seems relatively composed. Chi Haitian slowly comments: “Your skills need improvement, but your courage is commendable.”

Bai Shi, staying calm, wipes his dagger on the wolf’s dark blue fur. He glances expressionlessly at Chi Haitian, thinking: “You know, I just have a poker face, right?”

His legs trembling, Bai Shi gets to his feet and looks once more at the corpse. The thought of facing countless other powerful animals in the future makes him uneasy again.

But since he wants to finish this challenge, he knows it comes with a price. After a moment of silence, he clenches his fist. And for what seems like the hundredth time, silently reminds himself: “I’m the main character. I’m not human. I can’t see myself as human!”

“Yes, I’m something else—I can fight wolves, kill tigers, take on lions, and even wrestle bears!”

Flipping the table in his mind, he thinks: “Ugh, maybe I should just die. No matter how I look at it, suicide seems more practical!”

Chi Haitian, unaware of Bai Shi’s inner turmoil, picks a wolf’s fang and hands it to Bai Shi as a keepsake. Then he takes him back to tend to his injuries and lets him rest for a while before continuing their regular afternoon training.

Life seems to return to its usual routine, but Bai Shi knows Chi Haitian will bring him back to the mountains for more training. Sure enough, five days later, the old man takes him for another round of real combat, again hunting Sabertooth Wolves.

Bai Shi, resigned to his fate, follows orders and takes down the wolves, as well as other beasts of the same rank. Once he becomes proficient, Chi Haitian raises the difficulty level, making him face even stronger creatures.

Wiping his face, Bai Shi heads into battle with grim determination.

As days pass, Bai Shi’s combat experience grows, and his fighting skills improve significantly. When the final boss, the Armored Lion, falls, Bai Shi knows he has once again survived a part of the storyline by sheer willpower.

The whole process takes five months, and with two or three months left until the New Year, he will soon turn 13. He has long been qualified to take a certification exam. 

Although he once considered breaking some records, Chi Haitian dismissed the idea as pointless. Besides, his training schedule left no room, so Bai Shi didn’t push the matter.

He figures that since it’s just a record for one planet, it’s not a big deal. Most people are more interested in the records for the advanced mecha pilot certifications anyway. 

He thinks that, knowing the style of the people in the group chat, they’ll probably have the protagonist go to larger systems to break more significant records and rise above the crowd. But whether that will happen depends on the situation.

After returning to the estate with Chi Haitian, Bai Shi takes a quick shower, enjoys a good sleep. In the morning, wakes up to find the old man, curious about what’s next.

Chi Haitian is fiddling with a computer when Bai Shi walks in. He motions for him to come over and hands him a pair of internet glasses.

In this era, the internet is fully holographic. Wearing these glasses makes you feel like you’ve entered another world—it’s incredibly cool.

There are two computers in the room, and they agree on a meeting place before logging into the network. Bai Shi obediently follows Chi Haitian until they stop in front of a grand building with golden letters that read: Network Mecha Championship.

“Mecha competition?” Bai Shi instinctively asks, already guessing what the old man is thinking. His real combat training is complete, so now it’s time to start practicing with mechas.

Chi Haitian nods and leads him to the registration area, instructing him to sign up for the adult division. Bai Shi obediently does so. After a while, he asks: “Which region should I choose?”

“The star system.”

Bai Shi figures this is to make him fight more opponents, so he doesn’t object. He quickly finishes registering and receives a low-level mecha from the system.

Staring at his blank ID, Bai Shi writes and deletes a few names, trying to come up with something cool. Just then, a soft “ding” sound rings in his ears, drawing everyone’s attention.

The hall is filled with many screens displaying the rankings of participants from different regions, as well as the records for low, medium, and advanced mecha pilot certifications. The new update is for the low-level mecha certification on this planet:

—Chi Zuo, 12 years old.