Ken couldn't help but let out a whistle of appreciation. He could already see some practical applications where these skills would help him immensely.
The only unfortunate thing about Limit Break was that it didn't specify the conditions required, nor did it say he could activate the skill on its own. If it occurred at the wrong moment, it could certainly backfire.
However, a boost in 2 grades could send some of his skills into the SS tier.
He brought up his status window which he hadn't looked at properly for quite a while.
MAJOR LEAGUE SYSTEM
SYSTEM LEVEL: 3 (14180/10000 Major points to level up)
NAME: Ken Takagi
AGE: 16
TALENT ASSESSMENT: S-
POTENTIAL: SS+
MAJOR POINTS: 14180
USER MENU:
-STATS
-MISSIONS
-SYSTEM SHOP
-LOTTERY (Locked)
-IMAGE TRAINING
-IDENTIFY
-TRAINING PLAN
USER STATS:
>Physical Fitness: A+
>Pitching: S-
>Fielding: B-
>Game Intelligence: B-
>Mental: A+
>Skills: 17
PHYSICAL FITNESS: (Avg. A+)
Balance and Coordination: S
Agility: A+
Strength: A+
Stamina: S
Seeing his pitching grade now at S-, Ken almost cried out with joy. After months of painstaking work, he had finally improved on the skill he needed the most.
This would be a boon to his chances at Koshien in a few weeks time.
Next up it was time to check out his Elixirs.
Recovery Elixir: Recovers injuries no matter how severe. Can only be used 1 time per person.
'Huh!?'
He reread the description a few times just to make sure that he understood it.
'If it says it can only be used 1 time per person, does that mean it can be used on others?'
Every Elixir he had received in the past could only be used on himself. It never even took on a corporeal form that he could see.
But if he was deducing correctly, then the Recovery Elixir could be used on someone other than himself. However, he couldn't be sure.
'Argh, I wish I could ask the system…'
This was the one drawback of the system currently. He had to use his reasoning and sometimes trial and error when it came to things like this since the system could not communicate directly with him.
But Ken had a small hope that it could change in the future. Perhaps when it reached a certain level, the system would be able to talk and answer his questions.
'Speaking of leveling up.'
Ken looked at the abundance of Major points that had come into his possession and couldn't help but smile. It was finally time to rank up the system to level 4.
"First things first though." He murmured.
He wanted to take the S-Grade physicality elixir right away since the system would shut down while it upgraded.
He had taken an A-Grade physicality elixir before and new how painful it was, so before he could talk himself out of it…
[Are you sure you wish to consume: S-Grade Physicality Elixir?]
[Yes/No]
"Yes."
[Warning, user may experience intense pain due to the strength of the Elixir. Would you like to continue?]
[Yes/No]
Ken paled. Why did the system have to remind him of the punishment he was about to go through?
"Damn it."
"Yes…"
A few moments later he felt a cooling sensation enter his veins, spreading out from his heart towards the rest of his body and extremities. It was almost like the feeling one would have when being put under anesthesia.
Unfortunately for Ken, it was not anesthesia.
The next 10 minutes was a grueling battle which took a toll on not only his body, but also his mental state. Were it not for the muting effects of the system, he would have likely alerted the whole neighborhood of a bloody murder in progress.
Only after his muscles stopped cramping could he finally let out a deep sigh of relief. He felt his consciousness begin to blur since the ordeal had taken so much out of him, filling him with exhaustion.
"C-Crap…"
Ken wanted to upgrade the system before he went to bed tonight, since the sooner he did so the sooner he would get to reap the rewards.
He groggily navigated through the system window, doing his best to keep his eyes open.
#SYSTEM ALERT
>The user has chosen to upgrade the system.
>10,000 Major points will be deducted to upgrade the system.
>System will shut down for 72 hours in which all functions will be unavailable until the upgrade has been completed.
[Would you like to commence the upgrade now?]
[YES/NO]
#SYSTEM ALERT
>The user has confirmed an immediate upgrade of the system.
>10,000 Major points have been deducted.
SYSTEM UPGRADE INITIALIZING
SHUTTING DOWN TO INSTALL UPGRADE…
Ken was fast asleep before he even saw the shut down window. The strain the Elixirs put on his body was not something that a teenagers body should be capable of handling.
It was only because of his strong willpower and drive to get better that he could endure such torture. Were it any other regular teenager, they may have given up by now.
Of course there were exceptions, like with all things. Yet the fact remained that Ken was capable of handling such pain and torture, as long as it helped him get towards his goal.
The next morning, Ken woke up with bleary eyes. Out of habit he turned to his alarm clock, only to see that it was already 7am.
An instant panic overcame his body as he thought his alarm clock had not gone off. His whole routine over the past year and a half was to go for a run at 5am, yet this morning he had overslept.
His mind was pulling at him to lay back in bed to get some more sleep, however his discipline quickly kicked in.
In a flash he was dressed and running down the stairs.
He saw two figures at the dining table, one reading the paper and the other sipping a morning coffee.
With his mind still half asleep, he called out.
"Morning Mom, Dad. I'm going for a run." He said, placing his shoes on and heading out the door.
It wasn't until he was 100 meters down the road that he suddenly realized.
"Eh!? DAD."