Chapter 11 - Becoming a Master of Boxing
"I'm Vernon, a rank F boxer," Vernon said, a bit awkwardly.
"I don't know who trained you before, but you're pretty amazing for taking down your coach, Mico, on your first day here."
"You don't belong in rank F," added Amos. "You should be in rank B."
Vernon smiled, feeling flattered. He didn't expect Amos to be so nice, especially with his monster-like appearance.
"Thanks—"
THUD!
"Argh!" Vernon was thrown back hard against the wall as Amos punched him in the chest.
He coughed up blood, clutching his fractured ribs.
"W-what are you doing?!" Vernon growled in anger, not expecting Amos to suddenly attack him.
"Don't smile at me like that," Amos said flatly. "You might as well go home. There's no way you're winning the Vagon tournament. I bet Mico let you win to boost your confidence. He's too nice."
Vernon was stunned. Could it be that Mico pretended to lose?
"I just don't want you to be disappointed," Amos said as he walked away.
"Bastard," Tian cursed quietly. "He always bullies Vagon boxers right before the tournament." His voice dropped, afraid Amos might hear.
"He's just trying to mess with our heads, make us give up," Tony muttered angrily.
"We need to beat him!" Antonio riled them up.
"Yeah! We'll shut his dirty mouth with our victory!" Tian clenched his fists tightly.
Vernon's anger flared, thinking about Amos's nasty behavior, reminding him of Xander's betrayal.
'I'm going to beat that bastard and make him pay for spilling my blood!'
***
The Vagon tournament was in six days. Vernon chose to stay at the gym until 3 a.m. instead of sleeping, ignoring the pain in his chest from Amos's hit.
Sweat drenched his skinny body, and blood dripped from his knuckles.
"Damn it!" The blue-eyed man stopped punching the bag, panting. "This training isn't enough to beat Amos. I need to level up my skills using the system."
'System, give me strength!'
[Sorry, Host. You need to complete Daily or Main Missions to level up your skills.]
'What's the difference?' Vernon frowned.
[Main Missions unlock System Cards, like the one you've already earned. Daily Missions reward you with System Coins. Daily Missions are divided into Easy, Medium, and Hard levels.]
'What are System Coins?'
[System Coins can be used to purchase items in the System Store.]
A transparent screen appeared in front of Vernon. His eyes locked onto the shopping cart icon in the top left corner.
He clicked it.
[System Store is locked.]
"C'mon!" Vernon was annoyed, really curious about what items were available in the System Store.
[You need to complete a Daily Mission to unlock it, Host.]
"Give me a Daily Mission. I need to get stronger in a week to beat that jerk!"
[Daily Mission: 100 Push-ups!]
[Difficulty Level: Easy]
[Time Limit: 30 minutes]
[Time Remaining: 29:59:30]
[Push-ups Completed: 0x]
[Reward: Unlock the System Store]
[Caution: If you fail, Daily Missions will be unavailable for a week!]
"A week?! Are you crazy?!" Vernon protested, his voice echoing in the gym. "It's not fair! My hands just healed! There's no way I can do that!"
Vernon's hands still throbbed with pain, even though the system had healed them slightly. But still, the healing was only 10%.
[If you never push past your physical limits, you'll never break through them, Host! Physical strength is crucial for a boxer!]
Vernon's arms were skinny, making 100 push-ups seem impossible. But he refused to give up, convincing himself that he'd finish.
Vernon sighed deeply, unable to argue anymore. "Alright."
He started his push-ups. His palms pressed into the rough carpet, and with great difficulty, he pushed himself up and down, his thin arms trembling.
"Argh...!" Vernon held in the sharp pain shooting through his injured hands.
It had been a long time since he'd worked out, so his movements were stiff.
By the twentieth push-up, his hands were shaking, and his shoulders burned with fatigue.
"Damn! This is torture!"
But Vernon didn't give up, continuing to do push-ups even though it felt like his hands would break again.
To him, success was born from a million pains.
By the fiftieth push-up, he collapsed, face-first, from exhaustion.
"I can't do this!" Vernon groaned, breathless.
He glanced at the transparent screen in front of him.
[Push-ups Completed: 55x]
"S-so close," Vernon stuttered, out of breath. He got up and pushed through with difficulty, but he kept collapsing, his arms no longer able to support him.
"Tsk!"
When he was younger and healthier, he could do 200 push-ups during training. Now, he felt like an old man.
'I feel like I'm gonna pass out!'
He glanced at the screen. The time was ticking down, making his heart race faster.
"You have to finish this, Vernon." He took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his chin, and continued with renewed determination.
Sweat soaked the gray carpet beneath him.
"Well, well, well. I didn't expect to see you training at dawn, Vernon."
Vernon's focus broke as someone approached him. He looked up and saw Colin crouching right in front of him.
"Don't bother me," Vernon warned firmly. He was sick of Colin's fake smile.
"I want to join."
"This isn't a special training room for rank B boxers," Vernon snapped. "You should leave."
Colin chuckled. "You're so cocky. I was just trying to help."
Vernon ignored him and focused on training. Faintly, Colin could hear Vernon counting.
"Seventy?!" Colin pretended to be surprised. "Aren't your hands injured?"
Vernon stayed silent.
"Vernon, how did you heal your hands? Have you never been injured?" Colin's voice sharpened, interrogating him.
Vernon grunted, annoyed. "That's none of your business. You should be training for the Vagon tournament. Don't you want to beat The Annihilator?"
Colin smirked confidently. "I don't need to train anymore. I already know his weakness."
Vernon's eyes widened. There was no way Colin could figure that out so easily.
"What?"
Colin grinned wickedly. "No point in telling you since you'll lose in the first round."
Vernon clenched his fists, feeling tricked. Colin never intended to help him from the start.
"Are you sure?" Vernon hid his frustration and smirked. "Maybe you'll be the one eliminated in the first round."
"Why are you so confident?"
"Because you're weak."
Colin and Vernon locked eyes with cold glares. The tension between them was thick.
"How dare you call me weak! Come on, fight me! I'll kill you!"
"Why don't you make it to the semifinals and fight me in the ring?" Vernon taunted. "I won't go against Mico's orders not to fight outside the ring."
Colin burst out laughing. "Semifinals?! Are you crazy?!" He laughed harder, clutching his stomach. "For years, only rank A or B boxers have made it to the semifinals!"
Colin pointed rudely at Vernon's chest. "You're just a rank F boxer, idiot! There's no way you'll make it there!"
Vernon swatted Colin's hand away roughly. "Why don't you prove it? Trash talk means nothing to me." He raised his chin, glaring at Colin.
'If Mico wasn't my friend, I'd kill Vernon!' Colin cursed in his mind.
"I'll make sure you lose," Colin said before storming off.
Vernon sighed heavily. Now, he had one more rival.
[Warning! Time left: 15 minutes.]
'Oh, crap! I forgot.'
Vernon continued his push-ups. This time, he was more fired up, determined to beat the top dogs from Vagon Boot Camp.
[Congratulations! You've completed the Daily Mission.]
Vernon grinned as the locked icon on the System Store screen finally unlocked.
[Congratulations! You've unlocked the System Store! You can now purchase items and attributes!]
With intense curiosity, Vernon quickly opened the System Store to browse the items. Unfortunately, many of them were still locked.
"Ugh, I was really curious."
[To unlock items, you must level up your system.]
"Level up?"
The system returned to the main screen and displayed a small badge icon in the top left corner.
"Level 1?"
[That's your level. You level up by winning matches. Every win earns you EXP. Once you reach the highest level, you'll earn the title 'Master of Boxing.']
Vernon grinned slyly, feeling even more motivated to reach the highest level and become a master.