A small shortcut
For five minutes, Erik simply relaxed under the water, his mind drifting to nothing but the comfort of the oversized shower.
Once he was dressed, he returned to the training room, where only his teacher waited. Erik studied his teacher's face as he walked closer.
His face seemed tired, with only a hint of intense boredom on it, aside from exhaustion.
As Professor McAllister saw Erik, he walked toward him with his usual stern look. He could do nothing but sigh because he knew training him was going to be difficult.
"Erik," he said. "Things are going to get complicated for you."
"Why?"
"Because now that you have two powers, the military will do everything they can to make you a killer."
Erik didn't reply.
"This won't be like regular military training. It will be gruesome—harder than anything you've ever faced. You must prepare thoroughly during these months. Given your current lack of fighting ability, your training will be even harsher and more dangerous," the teacher said, looking Erik in the eyes as anxiety began to build within the student.
"This is not the only problem; the military will want to make good use of you as soon as possible. They will probably send you to some dangerous mission, and you cannot go unprepared."
Professor McAllister looked into Erik's worried face and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll help you, but I need you to put in all the effort you can, Erik."
The kid nodded. He knew things would get serious when he decided to make his second power public. Still, he felt confident that with the system and Professor McAllister's help, he could handle whatever came up.
After explaining the training program and offering advice about different training styles, Professor McAllister said, "Now go home, and don't forget to come back tomorrow."
Erik nodded.
Erik turned around and left. He went toward the train station; the night was already there. He hurried so that he wouldn't miss his train.
<I knew I would attract attention, but can't stop being pissed.>
Awakening was a tremendous deal around the world, and due to how many benefits it came with, the pros outweighed the cons.
However, these consequences were still serious. Professor McAllister confirmed that Erik's military service would be particularly hard.
But he didn't care if all of that got new opportunities; if it stopped the bullying and got supported by the nation, then it was all worth it.
Besides, he could always flee after squeezing everything Frant offered. The problem was that whatever he did; he had to play smart from now on.
…
…
…
Later, Erik arrived home. "System, show me the quests."
—[Quests List]—
—{Daily}—
<Eating Habits: COMPLETE>
<Physical training: COMPLETE>
—END—
<It looks like I completed my second daily quest by training with Professor McAllister.>
He stood there for a while, thinking.
What Professor McAllister said to him swirled in his mind, but it was more like a hitch than he couldn't scratch off. After all, the man said everything he could to scare him.
<Well, it's not like I have a lot of choices. If want to be safer, need do one thing: Train.>
But that didn't mean he couldn't use some... 'Shortcuts'.
<The system might give me a solution for this.>
As soon as his thoughts went to his computer, a new window asking him if he wanted to connect to it appeared.
"Yes, of course."
[Connection to Erik's personal computer, completed.]
<I'm sure there are videos or manuals about the combat style professor McAllister wants to teach me.>
The idea was to inject everything. That way, he would know if he did something wrong while training. The problem, though, was that knowing and doing were two different things.
In the end, he found them all.
<Activate the brain information injector.>
A list of videos and books appeared on a window.
—AVAILABLE KNOWLEDGE DATABASE—
List of available information:
Kyokar hand-to-hand manual.
Kyokar hand-to-hand lesson 1
Kyokar hand-to-hand lesson 2
Kyokar hand-to-hand lesson 3
...
...
...
Kyokar hand-to-hand lesson 20
...
...
Kyokar hand-to-hand lesson 50
—END—
<This surely is a lot. I wouldn't end up frying my brain, shouldn't I?>
He mentally turned to the biological supercomputer.
<Will there be a problem if I inject all of this in single session?>
[No, but you will lose consciousness for at least two hours.]
<If it is only that, then inject everything,> Erik said.
The last time he injected the school's knowledge, he felt slightly confused. It wasn't simple to sort everything. Though, for some time, he felt as if he had injected the equivalent of brain steroids.
The process then started. His thoughts sharpened to laser focus, but the clarity lasted only a couple of moments before Erik drifted into unconsciousness and darkness overtook his vision.
He woke up two hours later, feeling like his brain had been through a blender. Everything seemed foggy and distant.
After regaining control of his senses, just as the system had predicted, he checked for any signs of damage or problems. To his relief, he found none.
As his mind cleared, Erik recalled the Kyokar fighting style videos and manual with perfect clarity.
"Good."
Erik couldn't help but smile as he felt the new knowledge settling in his mind like pieces of a puzzle clicking into place.
The injection had worked perfectly: combat stances, movement patterns, and techniques were now crystal clear in his thoughts.
Eager to test his new understanding, he tried a few basic kicks in his room. His movements were clumsy and uncoordinated, nothing like the precise forms he could vividly see in his mind. The difference between knowing the proper technique and actually executing it existed, and it made him realize just how much physical practice lay ahead.
"In the end, the grind isn't going to stop. Knowledge is one thing, but mastery requires countless hours of practice."
He paused, then sighed, rolling his shoulders to ease the tension that had built up during his brief practice session.
"I better start making neural links now. The more I can make them, the better prepared I'll be for whatever the military throws at me."