The Art of Progress

[3 weeks later]

"Swish."

It had been three weeks and some days since the start of my training under Master Motobe, Master Kunimatsu, and Master Shibukawa. I had been growing at a steady rate, learning their martial arts and techniques firsthand through increasingly deadly fights.

'It's weird, it's like my body is able to absorb their teachings more quickly the more danger I'm in.'

However, unfortunately, there was no metric by which to strictly prove my hypothesis, thus it was only my guess for now. Still, after reaching this conclusion, my training speed increased at a much rapid pace. Now, instead of even looking at books or receiving instruction from Master Motobe, I would strictly learn from their movements, ingraining them into my body at first sight.

"Chink!"

It was a groundbreaking addition to my arsenal as a fighter; I could feel that I was getting closer to achieving greater mastery in my [Mirror Mimicry] skill. I had initially assumed that such a skill would be best trained in actual combat rather than training, however, it looks like you can never understand the fruits of long, hard work.

However, even with this enhanced experience of the skill, I was still unable to keep up with my original deadline for leaving Japan. I had simply underestimated the depth and quality of Master Motobe's teachings and, as a result, had to pay dearly for my negligence.

I had come to him with the request of 'mastering all that he could teach,; but the sheer weight of the master's skill had eluded me from the start. Swords, axes, knives, bows, maces, spears, and even shields. My training had focused on mastering the commonly used 'cold weapons,' however, I had still begrudgingly learned how to wield different kinds of guns and heavy weaponry like explosives and the like.

"Thunk!"

'I'll never have to rely on them, but what's the harm in using them for fun?' It had taken me a lot of deliberation before I had chosen to walk down this road, of abandoning my biased thoughts and thus disregarding such an important aspect of my martial path.

'Martial artists shape their own bodies into weapons, creating their fists into hammers and knives within a single moment. They can never be caught off guard or lose their 'strength' as it is always a part of them.'

I had not disregarded that train of thought. 'What good is power that can be taken away from you at any moment?' You're merely borrowing strength rather than being strong at that moment. For that very reason, martial artists disdained the use of weaponry, and only those experienced Masters of war such as Master Motobe or Gaia still utilized them.

'So narrow-minded, what kind-.'

"Swish."

'Ok, fine, I'll put a stop to this before I continue my internal monologue.'

"Shing." I finally stopped dodging and parrying the old man's sword swings and struck forth with some of my own, meeting his steel in a fierce clash, slicing through his blade like a knife through butter.

'See, just lost your strength.'

"So, Master Motobe, is the training finished for today?" The man seemed offended at my question, treating me as a kid who didn't know any better.

"Boy, you're far from mastering the proper use of these tools."

It seemed as if the man understood the strong implication behind my question, as I needed to leave by tomorrow whether I liked it or not. Otherwise, I would not have enough time to achieve my goals before the start of the tournament.

"I know Master Motobe, and I won't say that you're wrong, but you have to understand that I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place."

It was of no use; I knew how lacking I currently was in my training under him, and how much more I could learn from the old man, however, I had no other choice than to put his training on hold.

Although I had achieved my initial goal and reasoning for why I decided to train under him, I had accidentally stumbled into something I wasn't expecting in my wildest dreams.

'So stupid.' I shook my head at my naivety and at my past actions.

'[Status]'

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[Status]

Name: Kuzan Rosan

Age: 15.5 years

Title: [Martial Apprentice]

Strength: 300/1000 (Average Adult Value: 10)

Stamina: 300/1000 (Average Adult Value: 10)

Intelligence: 85/100 (Average Adult Value: 10)

Dexterity: 300/1000 (Average Adult Value: 10)

Will-Power: 610/1000 (Average Adult Value: 10)

Perception: 300/1000 (Average Adult Value: 10)

Skills: [Willful Eye (99/100)] [Warrior's Dominion (770/1000)] [Face Mask (99/100)] [Phantom Veil (590/1000)] [Shadowstep (680/1000)] [Anatomy Mastery (99/100)] [Poison Mastery (intermediate)] [Martial Language (intermediate)] [Goutaijutsu (master)] [Hand Pocket (master)] [Mirror Mimicry (intermediate)] [Ultra Instinct (beginner)] [Hokuha (intermediate)] [Aiki (intermediate)] [Shadow Boxing (learned)]

Techniques: [Karate (999/1000)+] [Kick Boxing (260/1000)] [Boxing (999/1000)+] [Judo (999/1000)+] [Muay Thai (999/1000)+] [Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (470/1000)] [Wrestling (450/1000)] [Chinese Kenpo (999/1000)+] [Xiaoli (999/1000)+] [Byaku-Rinji Kung-Fu (999/1000)+] [Iai Kenpo (999/1000)+] [Way of the Void (999/1000)+] [Martial Weapon Mastery (976/1000)]

Genes Synced: [Locked] (9/10)

[Aiki (intermediate)]: Mastery of the ancient art of Aiki signifies the pinnacle of martial prowess. Rooted in the Japanese martial arts principle of redirecting force, Aiki allows the practitioner to seamlessly blend with an attacker's movements, dominating them through the application of internal dynamics and Ki energy. By harmonizing with the assailant's actions, the Aiki master exerts control with minimal effort, effortlessly redirecting the force of an attack back at the opponent. Through a deep understanding of rhythm and intent, the Aiki practitioner anticipates and manipulates the attacker's movements, finding the optimal position and timing to execute devastating counter-techniques. This mastery renders Aiki masters almost immune to opponents' strikes relying solely on sheer power, establishing them as untouchable entities on the battlefield.

[Shadow Boxing (learned)]: Mastery of Shadow Boxing transcends the realm of mere visualization, elevating it to a profound and formidable technique. Through advanced visualization, the practitioner can manifest opponents and their fighting spirit as tangible entities before their eyes. These manifestations are not mere illusions; they appear with such vividness and realism that the damage they inflict feels genuine, as if the opponents had materialized in human form. This technique goes beyond imagining or predicting opponents' moves; it allows the practitioner to conjure up fighters they are familiar with, having seen them in person. While not yet perfected, this ability demonstrates incredible potential, enabling the practitioner to face opponents with unparalleled realism and intensity. As the practitioner refines their mastery, they become capable of summoning adversaries from memory, creating challenging and dynamic combat scenarios to hone their skills further.

[Martial Weapon Mastery (976/1000)]: This advanced skill signifies a near-complete mastery over a diverse array of martial weapons. Within your arsenal lies the finesse of swordsmanship, the raw power of axemanship, the precision of knife fighting, the accuracy of archery, the crushing force of mace handling, the agility of spear fighting, and the stalwart defense of shield mastery. This comprehensive proficiency allows you to seamlessly transition between weapons, adapting to any combat situation with unrivaled skill and precision. Your mastery transforms you into a versatile and indomitable warrior, capable of wielding any weapon with lethal effectiveness, and standing as an unparalleled force on the battlefield.

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It was truly a surprise; for the first time, the system had provided a description along with one of its techniques. It was weird, I had expected it to consider the different weapon-based martial arts in a similar light to its bare-handed counterparts, expecting it to consider [Swordsmanship] [Archery] as different martial 'techniques'. However, it seemed as if the system, like myself, had a bias against the use of weaponry, jumbling them all into one.

'It may be because I'm just learning how to use those weapons in a general sense rather than training in a particular 'style', however, I'll need to look more into it.'

Thanks to my training under Master Kunimatsu, not only was I able to achieve mastery in the Way of the Void, but I was also able to grow my experience in the art of poisons. I was a more conservative practitioner of the art in this respect, however, as I mostly focused on 'healing' and counteracting the poisons instead of utilizing them to fight.

'Still, it was truly a shame; I was unable to train in the 7 Yin volumes.'

The art of the poison hand consisted of 7 Yin volumes and 5 Yang volumes, that as both Yin and Yan formed a complete set. Unfortunately, I was unable to train in both the techniques, as it would be too deadly to master both.

Theoretically, it was indeed possible to train in both sections of the art simultaneously, however, the strain it would put on the user's body was far too much for me to bear. It wasn't a matter of willpower but of strength; my body was simply too weak. As Master Kunimatsu said, I didn't have the 'talent' to 'master' the art. Thus, I simply focused on utilizing the 5 Yang volumes to train my body's resistance, effectively making its effect useless on my body.

'Thankfully, I was able to devise a way for it to not poison those in contact with me; otherwise, I'm sure it'd be a pretty lonely life for me going forward.'

Lastly, my training under Master Shibukawa was the one to have proceeded most smoothly and without any hiccups. I had already mastered the martial techniques taught to me at the temple from my confrontation with Dorian, and had mastered the art of Karate after my match with Katsumi, thus 'it only made sense that I would progress the most quickly from being constantly thrown around by that old man'.

I had even 'picked up' the ancient skill of Aiki from the man; however, I still needed some more time to train to truly master the skill. I had also not been slacking on my use of the most 'fun' skill to date, [Shadow Boxing]. Although it didn't match the effective usefulness of [Ultra Instinct] or [Mirror Mimicry] in combat, it did match their practicality in training.

Although I was only able to 'conjure up' fighters I had previously seen, I had thankfully met a lot of strong combatants in my time in Japan. By utilizing this skill, I was able to continue my training even at night, cutting off my sleep to the bare minimum for the past few weeks to train.

They say slow and steady wins the race, but they also say hard work pays off. I had spent every waking moment in training, wanting to accomplish my goals before I left Japan, as it would be a long time since my return to the land of the rising sun.

I had planned to return to L.A. to finally make use of my Underground Base that I had constructed long ago. It was already equipped with all of the necessary equipment that would be needed to monitor, collect data, and keep my safety in check as I unlocked the new 'section' of the system.

I wasn't going to play around with the safety of my own life with something so unknown. I had close to no idea about what to expect, however, if the name of the 'tab' was anything to go by, I would have to proceed with the utmost caution. I had even invited a team of world-renowned scientists and medical professionals to be on standby in case anything went wrong.

I had told Aunt Elizabeth that I would be undergoing some harsh training that could pose a threat to my life, however not going into further details on the subject.

'There's absolutely no reason to tell anyone, even members of my own family, the secret.'

My Aunt had long convinced them of both their support with the 'project' and had bought their silence, although neither of them knew fully for what exactly. I would keep the whole operation a secret from them unless absolutely necessary for my survival.

I wasn't going to risk my 'secret' and 'trump card' getting out, no matter the cost. 'I'm sure Aunt Elizabeth would have ways to prevent them from spreading rumors, just leaving them confused about the whole situation.'

'And I'm sure that I could drum up a convincing enough lie for Aunt Elizabeth in the worst-case scenario.'

'Hopefully, I'm just overreacting again and all of this preparation is for nothing.'

Thus, I had spent the rest of my time in Japan strictly on my training under my three masters, achieving ever greater heights in a variety of martial arts. And after those long grueling days of training...

'I had finally succeeded.'

I had reached the 'maximum' strength my body was capable of generating at this stage of its growth. 'I had expected my stats to plateau eventually, but to stop rising so soon is really a shame.'

Every individual has a different 'ceiling' of strength that their body is capable of generating since birth. Those born with natural strength like Hanayama or Mr. Unchained had a comparatively higher 'ceiling' of growth that they could reach through sheer training alone.

'Even Master Kaku was quite a 'macho man' in his youth, utilizing his natural strength to win his fights before being humbled by a true master of the martial arts.'

I had known that despite my well-researched diet, despite my continuous training, I would eventually reach my limit. I could probably continue growing the 'cap' as I am still not fully through puberty yet; however, the increase would be far from substantial.

Currently, I was somewhere in the range of Kaiou Retsu or Master Katsumi's level of physical fitness, which was surprisingly good considering my lack of talent in this aspect. I had a body that was neither gifted by mother nature, nor had the blood of a demon flowing through its veins that would allow me to take on men like Mr. Oliva in a contest of pure strength.

The system had only 'gifted' me a body that was fit for fighting, achieving the maximum of what was reasonably possible for someone in the modern age.

I had now reached a fork in my training, as I could no longer improve my 'stats' other than 'will-power' and 'intelligence'. The only option from here for anyone else would be to either continue their mastery of skill in hopes of reaching higher heights, or to join the 'dark side' and engage in 'body modification' through the use of drugs and surgeries to become physically stronger.

'And thanks to the system...'

'I didn't have to pick.'