The Ring Of Life

[1380 Words]

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(3rd Person POV)

"Zephyrus Crew."

Felix asked, "Zephyrus, huh? The god of wind in Greek Mythology. That's a pretty dope name. Couldn't have thought of a better one."

Minu smiled proudly and said, "I know right? You are one of the very few who managed to know what Zephyrus actually meant. Most people in my crew are not that big in studies and stuff. Well, as you are joining, so, Welcome to the Crew!"

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks. Is June in the crew as well?"

"Yup. He was one of the first few to join the group. He has always been one of the pillars of our crew. Anyway, all of us meet up at Jayu Park. We usually meet up at the weekend, but sometimes we meet on weekdays as well. I will add you to our Kakao Chat Group. Now, let's talk about your level of cycling. How much time has it been since you have been cycling?"

Felix replied, "Since the first day of our high school, I think it has been around 3-4 weeks since then."

"Hmm... So, it has not been much long since you started cycling. How much do you cycle in a day?"

"Oh, well. Around 4-5 hours on a weekday. And 7+ hours on the weekend usually."

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...

Both Minu and June were flabbergasted when they heard this, June asked in a concerned voice, "So, you did around 4 hours of cycling yesterday?"

"Yeah, well actually 4 hours and 40-something minutes."

"And you do this regularly?"

"Yeah. It's fun. I enjoy doing it."

"Damn. you are going hardcore at cycling, dude. You really like cycling that much or you are practising it for a reason?"

Felix replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "Although I started cycling for a reason but I have come to enjoy it. It is also great for working out and improving my physical fitness."

Minu exclaimed, "Damn. So, that's why you are so ripped. And it's great that you enjoy cycling. Cycling is just the best, isn't it? Going beyond the speed of a normal human while using your own strength behind it is pretty awesome. Well, let's go back to the class now. We can talk on our way there."

And then three of them chatted a bit more, mostly regarding cycling and the Zephyrus Crew, while none of them had realised they were now tied together with the string of fate.

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Bam!

Wham!

Bang!

Just like usual, Felix was training. For some time, Felix had been training himself on his own without any external help which was an awesome idea in his mind at that time. Training without any other help with a hit and trial.

But he was an absolute fool who didn't use common sense at all.

Not anymore though. He won't be wasting his time with that inefficient method of training.

Possibly he would be able to get stronger if he trained on his own, but it would be extremely inefficient.

It would take a lot of time and the time he lost could be used for other work. So, he decided to go to a training gym nearby.

It was acclaimed to be the best gym in South Korea, famed for training many national-level fighters and some fighters to an international level.

It gets lots of applications for induction into the gym since it is situated in a populous area, but the people entering it was moderated by a physical test.

Most top gyms in the world used some kind of test to see if the person who wants to enter has some kind of previous skill or possesses some degree of talent.

Talented people were able to enter it and the average guy was mercilessly rejected. This was the perfect example of how society worked.

Anyway, Felix had already filled up his application and he had to for the physical test today. He was pretty confident in himself, as he easily possessed above average physical abilities.

After punching for the last time in his home for that day, Felix wipes off the sweat from his forehead and gets ready for the training gym.

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Half an hour later, Felix was standing in front of the training gym and looking at it again, it gave off heavy vibes. As a fighter, Felix could feel the fighting spirit radiating off the place.

For a single moment, Felix could imagine how the fighters in this gym had shed their sweat, blood and tears for their goal. And finally, after a long time, Felix's fighting spirit fired up at the prospect of meeting a worthy opponent.

In front of him was a massive building, and in front of it was a glowing sign which said 'The Ring of Life.' It was the name of a gym which was very abstract and vague, unlike other gyms which just had the name of the head trainer's name in it.

And there were a lot of people standing outside the building, in front of the closed gate. This gym was famous for taking test for applicants only once a month, so that's why it was crowded. There were people of all ages - middle-aged, in their 20s, 30s, and in their teens as well.

The atmosphere was tense, chaotic and awkward. People were chatting with one another but sizing each other at the same time. They knew that they were among their rivals. They couldn't afford to be careless in this situation.

A loud sound spoken from a megaphone broke the tense atmosphere into bits as it said, "Look here, you idiots."

Hearing those provocative words, all of the applicants looked above and saw a man standing on the sign of the gym while a rope was dangling above him from the top of the building.

The man had red hair with a friendly mutton chop beard. He wore a flashy golden tank top and shorts with a wide smile on his face.

He brought the megaphone close to his mouth and spoke again in a boisterous tone, "As I have gained your attention upon me, I welcome you to "The Ring Of Life"!!! If you have come here thinking you are some hot shit in fighting, then I am sorry to inform you are a random nobody in the actual fighting world. This world is brutal, unforgiving and ruthless. I have seen people getting paralysed for life, people going into a coma and losing themselves as they tread onto this path."

"You should know that every punch you throw, every kick you strike can kill the person you are fighting. That's the burden of staying in this world. If you make the decision to enter this world, then you should forget the common sense you learnt before. You are in our world now.

"When you fight, any degree of carelessness can be the reason for your defeat. When you enter the ring, you enter a battlefield. A battlefield in which your enemy is waiting to gobble you up like a tasty morsel."

"Our gym is not for the weak-hearted or the ones who want to try fighting just as a hobby. If you want to lose weight or just be fitter, then there are several fitness gyms nearby which you can enter. We train people to stand at the apex of fighting. Many of you don't even have the genes, physique, talent or determination to think of reaching that place. If a thousand people like you stood in front of me, then I doubt even a single one of them could be a national-level fighter."

"My name is Victor Smith, head assistant trainer of this gym. I welcome you all again to "The Ring Of Life", where we train you to handle challenges and obstacles in fighting. This gym is headed by the world-famous fighter, Derek Watson. That's all from me for now. If you have the will to walk on this arduous path, then you are free to stay while other people can walk away."

[Victor Smith's Image]

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(End of the Chapter)

I have posted this chapter again after changing some stuff.

Now, this is a crossover between Wind Breaker and The Boxer.

Wind Breaker is too boring alone. So, I added The Boxer. Hope you enjoy!

So, the illustration of Victor Smith will be changed now. It's a different pic. Check it now.

If you liked the story, drop some power stones. Write a review and some comments. Add this story to your library.

A bonus chapter for 500 Power stones.