Hehe... I installed Gentoo last year and I was thrown in the deepest of deep ends after having to set up a custom initramfs for my LUKS setup... took about a week to get it running...
I wouldn't dual boot because of the possibility of Windows breaking the bootloader. If OP could spare a separate drive or USB stick specifically for toying with Linux, they may get more out of it before committing.
Don't forget to remove the square pedal under the driver's seat. It's put there by the manufacturers to limit your speed in a bid to get more of your money by artificially making other of their models seem faster
Just do it properly and configure sshd securely. When you have a machine exposed to the internet, you should expect it to be attacked. If you really want to give the finger to bots, run endlessh on port 22 and keep sshd on a non-standard port. Stay safe.
Vodafone gang!