• Chapter 03- Endeavor (2/2)

POV (3rd Person) 

While Zagreus thought about his near future, Shifu argued with Oogway. 

Shifu- "Master Oogway, this young man cannot be the solution to our problems. The Lord was going to point to Tigress when he fell just in time; it was just an accident."

Oogway- "There are no accidents, Shifu." Said The Elder Master as he headed to the cherry tree for his regular meditation. 

Tigress- "Forgive us, Master, we have disappointed you." She stated as she bowed with a noticeable melancholy in her voice. The other four followed her example and bowed with her. There was evident respect and loyalty to their Master. 

Shifu raises his hand to them while denying. 

Shifu- "No, you have not failed me, Master Oogway has his methods and ways, but if this boy does not prove himself worthy of such a title, I will be the first to expel him from the Jade Palace." Said the Old Man with the ears of a Red-Panda with solemnity. 

Line break 

Inside the Jade Palace, you could see a young man with hair as black as the night that fell to his shoulders. Heterochromatic eyes, one as golden as the purest gold and the other so black that it was impossible to distinguish a pupil. 

Short horns protruded from his temples, and scales covered his hands to his forearms and his legs to his knees. Zagreus was still thinking about what to do from that moment on. 

So he decides to explore the Palace a little, as, for his memory, the Jade Palace stored many exciting things. 

Zagreus- "If I remember correctly, there are several weapons, armor, and legendary items from Chinese history here." 

The newly named Dragon Warrior walked through the Palace until he spotted a distinguished-looking sword. 

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[Sword of Heroes] 

[RANK: EPIC] 

[Description: The Sword of Heroes is a double-sided sword with an ability to split and transform into multiple weapons - including a dagger, a short sword, and a dual halberd.] 

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Zagreus is remarkably excited upon seeing the sword. In this situation, who wouldn't be seeing one of the most mysterious swords, which he had only seen right in front of him. 

Zagreus moves towards her and tries to reach her but stops when he hears a voice behind him. 

Shifu- "So if you're done with your Youth tour, could you turn around?" Shifu said in a monotone voice. 

Zagreus turns to the Red Panda Master, a little annoyed that he can't get the sword without anyone seeing him. 

Zagreus- "Yo, old man." Says the Young Dragon with no respect for the Master due to his lack of knowledge of his identity, but even if he did, he would still act that way. 

Shifu's eyebrow twitches, but he still continues and asks. 

Shifu- "So you are the Legendary Dragon Warrior?" 

Shifu asks in a sarcastic tone but stares at Zagreus' heterochromatic eyes. Zagreus doesn't flinch at Shifu's intense gaze and responds without hesitation. 

"From what the Guy in the Turtle Shell said, yes, but I don't know about the title or responsibilities that follow." The Young Dragon said, feigning ignorance to Master Shifu, who didn't notice the lie in his speech. 

"If you just do what you know, you won't be anything more than what you already are. At least you have the right mindset to grow." Shifu wisely stated to Zagreus." But you are not The Dragon Warrior, and you never will be, not until you learn the Dragon Scroll." Says the Master while pointing to the tiny Parchment in the mouth of the Immense Golden Dragon. 

Zagreus had already seen this scene in the film but living it himself excited him. He got even more excited when he looked at the Scroll that showed him something unprecedented. 

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[Scroll of the Dragon] 

[RANK: LEGENDARY]

[ SKILLS BOOK ] 

[ Description: "An ancient Scroll written by a True Dragon Warrior, found by Oogway but after failing to read the Master obtained enlightenment and named as the secret to unlimited power, the Scroll teaches the 『 DRAGON STYLE 』, one of the most robust Martial Arts in existence and can only be read by someone descended from dragons.] 

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The smile takes over Zagreus' face, he bows and says. 

"When can we start, Master?" he asked, full of unshakable determination. 

Shifu froze. He could only look at the young man as Tai Lung's figure overlapped Zagreus.

Shifu felt immense regret for not seeing what Tai Lung was becoming, perhaps if he had realized in time, he could have stopped him, but that was too late.

Shifu takes a deep breath and calms down to dispel such thoughts. 

Shifu- 'I won't accept him as a disciple yet, I still don't think he's worthy, but I'll still give him the benefit of the doubt.'

Thought the Master as he made up his mind.

"Zagreus, isn't it? Come with me." Saying this, he turned and headed for the courtyard while calling the Five. 

Zagreus lifts his head and follows Shifu expectantly. 

'Finally, my training will begin. Shifu's caution should be because he doesn't know anything about me or just because of the bitterness and disappointment coming from his now-imprisoned adopted son, Tai Lung. I can't wait to fight him. OUR BATTLE WILL BE LEGENDARY, (*sigh*) it only feels good when he says it, even thinking it is shameful.' The Young Dragon continues his reveries as he follows the Shifu, now accompanied by the Furious Five. 'But first, I should look at my Status as it has had some changes.'

' Open [Status]. ' And a blue screen appears at my command. 

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[Status] 

Name: Zagreus | Age: 15 

Titles: Son of *, Dragon Warrior

Genre: Male 

Race: Human, Dragon, (*SEALED*) 

~ 

~

Equipment: N/A

Skills: N/A 

Cheats: [The Strongest Disciple].

-----

"Zagreus, the chosen one needs to master the highest level of Kung-Fu, it seems to me that you have a strong body, but I suppose you don't train, right?"

Shifu said seriously but with a hint of a joke for what he imagined was a lazy young man in front of him.

"Yes, Master Shifu, I never trained Kung-Fu or any Martial Arts. I always relied on my instincts in every battle as long as I can remember." 

Affirms the Young Dragon with sadness due to the inevitable memory of that dark time. 

"ooohhh battle, you say, answer me, Zagreus, what kind of fight did you participate in?"

Asked the Old Man with Red Panda ears while staring at the Young Man who just got interesting in front of him.

"Battles against hideous monsters, Master. I had to fight for my life since the day my mother died, due to something I inherited from my father," he says while clenching his fists with immense anger and hatred for his father. Trying to understand why he didn't help them if he was as powerful as his mother said he was.

Shifu frowns at the story and stares at him, trying and failing to see any lie in his statements. He looks at Zagreu and thinks:

'This boy... from what he said, he must be a born warrior. It seems that he has a talent for fighting. But let's see how much. '

Shifu thought and had an idea to know how to proceed with Zagreu.

"I'm sorry for the hardships you've had to go through in your life, but we have to keep going. You'll fight the Furious Five one at a time, so we'll know what your experience in these fights has yielded you." 

Shifu says while pointing to a marked space on the courtyard floor and says.

"Viper, you go first."

Order Shifu, who in response received a.

"Yes, Master." From the pink-haired girl. 

The two then walk to the designated spot and look at each other.

"I hope to learn a lot from you, Master Viper." 

Zagreus speaks, showing respect. 

"If you don't mind, I would like to spend quality time with you then, you know, to introduce me to the Palace and the Valley."

Says Zagreus with not only respect but with a flirtatious tone. 

Viper gives a small smile at the young man's courageous act and replies:

"Later, if there is anything left after training." 

Says Viper in a friendly and slightly loving tone. 

"Are you ready?" 

She says as she smiles adorably.

"As much as I can be!" Says with a slightly nervous smile. 

Viper advances at Zagreus while keeping her adorable smile on her face, hitting him from below with her tail.

Zagreus can't follow the blow coming from a Master but trusts the instincts that have never let him down and narrowly deflects the impact from the pink-haired beauty. 

In the air, Zagreus punches Viper in the face. The Young Dragon is a true advocate of gender equality. Viper quickly retaliates with fluid and trained movements while taking advantage of Zagreus' attacks to wrap his arms around his neck in a headlock. Using Zagreus' weight to her advantage and knocking him to the ground. 

Zagreus struggles as he uses all his strength to free himself. His eyes sparkle, and he manages to loosen his grip a little, but he proves insufficient to free himself completely. 

Shifu ends the friendly match when he sees Zagreus is dominated by Viper. How the Young man performed against a Master without being adequately trained only shows the potential of such a person. 

Even having lost the dispute with Viper, Zagreus keeps a smile on his face that only increases when he sees the familiar blue screen in front of him. 

[ Ding!! ] 

[ Serpent Style ] Has been acquired. 

[Eye of the Wise] Has been acquired.

Even during all that pain, Zagreus still manages to smile, 'System, show me the description of the skills I got.'

[Yes, User]

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[Snake Style] [Level 1] 

[RANK: RARE] 

[Martial arts] 

[Description: A snake envelops and nullifies the opponent through flexibility and fluidity of movement. A has moves that intertwine with its opponents, while the attack looks for angles of surprise. This style aims to achieve points. Specific such as eyes, throat, and lower abdomen. Movement requires a great sense of distance and attack vision from the user.]

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[Wise's Eye] [Level 1]

[RANK: EPIC]

[SKILL: ACTIVE] 

[Description: "An ability to find target information, can see superficial thoughts and even emotions at higher levels, also from the ability to see flaws in others' techniques and learn them." ]

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Zagreus had a smile on his face as he saw his progress, but it wasn't over yet, missing the other four of the Furious Five. He gets up and faces the group of disciples, and Master looks at him and says.

"Who will I fight next, Master?" 

Young Dragon asks Shifu with a big smile and immense anticipation for the fight to come.

Shifu seeing that smile, doesn't hold back and expresses a small smile, not in contempt or mockery but one of respect that the boy in front of him that he barely knew, conquered with his story and his way of dealing with life. 

Even with the strenuous life the Young Dragon went through, like losing a loved one, like the bloody ones that no person should go through, let alone a child. Still, even after all that, he keeps a genuine smile, an indomitable will, and a desire to learn a lot.

All of this made even Shifu like him a bit. Maybe Oogway was right all this time about Zagreu and himself.

After a quick reflection, Shifu looks at the Dragon Warrior and says. 

"You will now fight with Master Monkey, only this time you guys fought with Staff. Monkey is a Staff user and will give you tips if you want to learn how to use this weapon."

Affirms Shifu with the seriousness worthy of an experienced Master. 

Monkey grabs two sticks as he goes towards the marked place where the fight would occur. Zagreus was already in his position, waiting for Monkey. 

The Staff-user Master throws one of the bats to Zagreu and says. 

"Give me all you've got." 

Says Monkey not with arrogance but pure confidence in his own abilities.

Zagreus, already excited about the fight to come, looks at Monkey and smiles as he says.

"I always go all out."

Monkey just smiles in response to her enthusiasm. 

This time Zagreus is more confident thanks to the skills he has got. Zagreus noticed that he has in his head some basic postures and techniques of the 「Snake Style]. Apparently, the skills of Martial Arts come with their bonus knowledge as the level evolves. 

So he decided to surprise his future Master and fellow disciples by showing his "talent" in learning Martial Arts. 

And so Shifu finally starts the match between the Monkey and the Young Dragon Warrior. 

The Young Dragon doesn't hesitate and attacks first, with a two-finger movement similar to Viper but with more minor useless movements. The lack of practice and experience in using it was visible.

The movement is directed to Monkey's neck but is deflected by the bat. Zagreus used the input from Monkey's attempt to deflect his attack and attacks with the bat on the right side with all his strength.

Monkey didn't expect to have any difficulty beating Zagreu. Still, as he narrowly deflected that last blow, he felt shocked but soon calmed down and returned his focus to the fight. He could ask questions later.

Shifu, who was watching the fight with the rest of the Furious Five, was shocked by Zagreu's first attack, as the move was snake style. Still, the action used by the latter was one of the ones Viper used in the fight against him.

So, in addition to using an old challenging Martial Art after seeing it once and without any prior knowledge, it shows the ridiculousness of his talent. The blow used was improved, the moves were facilitated, and useless moves were discarded. 

This boy...his talent is just ridiculous... I have already made up my mind. I will train this boy to become the true Dragon Warrior and extract all his potential out of it.

Break Line

The Young Dragon finds himself in his room on top of a hill near the Jade Palace. He is completely exhausted, both mentally and physically. Every part of his body is screaming, but still, Zagreus keeps a massive smile on his face in satisfaction as the pain after a workout is a sign of evolution. (Or injury, be careful when train) 

Zagreu fought the Furious Five and fought better every fight. After losing to Master Praying Mantis, Shifu will test him in the last battle. 

It was a total, unilateral, completely unbalanced defeat, even after learning all those techniques, which incidentally were....:

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[Crane Style] [Level 1] 

[RANK: RARE]

[Martial arts]

[Description: It has harmonious and elegant movements. It is used in fighting based on defending, blocking, dodging, and redirecting attacks, always seeking the advantage of the counterattack.]

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[Tiger style ] [Level 1 ]

[RANK: RARE] 

[MARTIAL ARTS]

[Description: Combines the lightness nimbleness of a cat with the fierce claws of a big cat like a tiger. The tiger strike targets the opponent's weak points, allowing someone smaller to defend against someone larger.]

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[Monkey Style] [Level 1]

[RANK: RARE] 

[MARTIAL ARTS] 

[Description: In his techniques, there is constant change in the balance of the body, with rapid changes in postures, with high and low positions, it is composed of the movements, characteristics, and spirit of the monkeys. This style is extreme on the legs and heels. ]

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[Mantis Style] [Level 1]

[RANK: RARE] 

[MARTIAL ARTS] 

[Description: His blows are fast and fierce, accompanied by grabs, twists, and drops, his characteristic is to approach the attacking opponent, hold him preventing his movements and then destroy him.]

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[Proficiency in Weapons-Blunt] [Level 1]

[RANK: Common]

[SKILL: PASSIVE]

[Description: The handling of every blunt weapon increases, and the damage increases with each level. Current level - 10%.]

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"Yeah, the gains today were terrific. I see my future very positive now." The Young Dragon warrior says as he falls asleep. 

(Author's Note) 

Would you like a description of each skill or item seen in the chapter at the end of it? Comment and give your opinions about the book. It helps a lot to encourage me to write more. 

Today's chapter was another info dump. I'm not at home, so I'm writing over the phone, which is a challenge for me, plus my family won't leave me alone long enough to write, not that I want to stay away from them at all times. But I also didn't want to leave you guys without chapters, so here it is, Monday has more. By your future favorite author.

- AbelWizard