At the beginning, Gary's Daily Quests had rewarded him with 10 Exp each. Unfortunately, now that his system classified him as Level 2, each Quest was only paying out half that amount. With the requirement to reach the next level having already doubled, it didn't take a math genius to understand that it would take a long time for him to progress by only relying on this method to accrue Exp.
Nevertheless, this didn't mean that Gary intended to stop working out anytime soon. After all, right now it was the only reliable method for him to increase his Strength without any of the stat points he appeared to be getting for a Level Up.
During his brief time with the system, Gary had actually gained the most Exp after fighting against others like the Eton High students. Although he had yet to confirm his suspicion, he strongly believed that it might also be an effective way to gain other stats like Endurance.
Unwilling to go out and look for trouble in the streets, his conjecture had eventually led Gary to just challenge the martial arts clubs in his own school. The teacher of the Karate club was an aged man, whose arms were folded after hearing Gary's declaration.
"I like your spirit, kid, but things don't work like they do in movies. This is a school club. I can't just let anyone barge in here and allow them to fight my students." The teacher explained in a calm tone.
Tom was very pleased that this teacher seemed reasonable and hadn't just outright accepted his buddy's crazy request. Now he would just have to pull Gary out of the gym. Unfortunately, just when he was about to grab his friend by the arm, Tom saw a strange look in Gary's eyes.
'W-why does he have that look again?!' Tom felt himself shaking, everything in his body was telling him that it was a body idea to touch Gary right now. Unsure what it was, he listened to this feeling and took a step back.
Hearing the teacher's response, Gary smiled.
"I just wanted to know if Karate was worth learning these days." Gary said. "These days Altered fights are being shown all over the internet and on TV. Everyone knows that the best fighters are those who don't just rely on their Altered forms but incorporate martial arts in their fighting style. However, despite being a huge fan, I have never seen a single one of the top Altered fighters use Karate."
From Gary's experience, sport teachers, even more so combat teachers, took great pride in the martial arts they had learned for years. The black belt was proof that his teacher must have spent countless hours honing his skills and Gary couldn't imagine that he would just let it slide that he had basically called his craft 'useless'.
"And that made you think it might not be worth your time and effort? Very well. Steven, please help our enthusiastic friend find a gi in his size!" The teacher instructed.
Immediately, a student with a green belt stepped forward. Steven had short hair similar to Tom's and he was a little larger than Tom and Gary, yet not as big as rugby players like Gil and Barry.
While Steven and Gary had disappeared into the changing rooms, the other students had quickly laid out mats on the floor, creating an impromptu arena for the two boys to fight in. Not long after, the two combatants came out.
Gary was now also in the white uniform just like everyone else. He and Steven both had head gear on as well as shin guards to protect their legs and finally a large cover on the front of their stomach. This entire set of protection gear only made it harder for Gary to move in, but even he understood that there was no way the teacher would let them fight without them.
'I shouldn't be surprised, this isn't a street fight. Not everyone can heal as fast as me, so it's natural he wants to keep us safe. I just hope it still counts as a fight like this.' Gary worried as he took position on his side of the ring.
Fortunately, the system promptly answered his desire.
[New quest received]
[Honorable Fight!]
[You are complying with your Werewolf instincts and have sought out a mighty opponent!
You have initiated a fight against a karateka (green belt)! ]
[Win the Match!]
[Quest reward: 120 exp]
'This counts as complying with my Werewolf instincts? When I fought the other guy before I was scared, but this time I feel… a little excited.' Gary analysed.
This method appeared to work even better than Gary could have ever hoped for. As long as he managed to win this fight, he would gain exactly enough Exp to reach Level 3, allowing him to improve his stats even further.
"A hands-on demonstration should be the fastest way for you to get a feel for Karate. Don't worry, Steven here should be capable enough to teach you a lesson without hurting you too badly."
"The fight will end when one of you gives up. If either one of you steps off the mats, stop what you're doing and restart at the centre. Most importantly, this is a friendly spar, so neither one of you is to aim at your opponent's face or their groin! Do you both understand?" The teacher asked.
The two of them nodded while the other students sat down around the mats, waiting for the match to begin. This was far more interesting than their usual training. As for Tom, he wasn't sure what to do. It seemed far too late to play everything off as a joke.
"Say, isn't your friend part of the Rugby club? What is he doing here?" A voice asked.
When Tom turned around, he recognised the girl as Xin from their class.
"Umm… well, let's just say not everyone was too keen about Mr Root's decision to let Gary join the Rugby club. He's been harassed by them, so he planned to get better at fighting." Tom made up an explanation which wasn't too far off the truth.
"Okay, but it looks like your friend just exchanged one bully for another. If he had asked normally, I'm sure Mr Fang would have gladly taken him in, but now he's in for a beating. Steven used to be the strongest member in this club." Xin pointed out, just in time for Mr Fang to wave a flag, signalling the start of the match.
"I'm more afraid that Gary might not be able to hold back." Tom muttered to himself.
As soon as the match began, Gary immediately activated his skill.
[Charging heart]
[-10 Energy]
All of his stats immediately doubled, his Strength rose to 10, while his Endurance was now at a 16, but his Dexterity was still slow even though doubled at 6 making his slow speed regular.
'Even at this level, he will probably be too fast for me, but he's a lot smaller than the guy I fought in the underground tournament. With all this gear on, I can probably afford to trade punches.' Gary thought.
Once Gary entered into his range, Steven swung using the full strength of his body and hips to connect his roundhouse kick with the arrogant newcomer. As the bigger and more confident guy he expected Gary to fall, but as his foot connected his opponent remained on the ground.
Thanks to the armour and the increased Endurance the kick felt like just a light shove to Gary. Aware that he was unlikely to get a second opening, he, as the challenger, made use of his opponent's momentary confusion and used a punch, imitating his favorite fighter Kirk, he started his motions bending slightly.
With all his Strength, he sprung up using the strength of his legs to deliver a heavy punch putting his weight behind the attack, his fist connected with the large cover over his stomach.
Despite the protection gear, Steven felt the wind get knocked out from him. The force behind the attack was far stronger than someone Gary's size should have had. Before the green belt could recover, Gary was already holding onto his opponent's shoulder, imitating Innu's actions by pulling Steven forward, kneeing him in the stomach.
As Gary stood above him, it was clear to everyone that Steven had lost the match.
[Quest reward: 120 Exp]
[Congratulations, you have now reached: Level 3]
[A stat point has been granted]
'This guy, he isn't getting back up. I thought he would be like those Eton High kids. I guess he's not really used to taking a beating. Still, just because I can beat up someone my age doesn't mean I would fare well against those gangsters. And I know from watching those underground fights that there are people better than this.'
Mr Fang quickly rushed over to Steven, even forgetting to declare the fight to be over, too worried about his pupil's wellbeing. It appeared as if he had misjudged Gary. At first he had believed him to just be a naive kid, but judging from his fighting style, although it was rough, he was someone who had fought before.
His own student had been at a complete disadvantage. Steven was used to fighting competitions, as such he had stayed overly cautious about not losing any points, trying his best to show off his skills, while the only thing on Gary's mind had been winning the fight.
"He beat Steven, and it was only in two hits."
"It looked like he got winded from the first punch, even with all the armour, that punch must have been strong."
"I think Steven was playing it too safe, he should have gone for a kick to the head." The students continued to murmur between themselves.
'What should I do with him? If that kid leaves now he will look down on Karate, but I can't just face him myself. An adult beating up a kid would prove nothing to him.' The Karate teacher thought.
It was then that another one stood up from the sitting students.
"Mr Fang, I would like to fight him next." A voice said.
"W-what are you doing?" Tom asked, wondering why Xin, who had been by his side mere seconds ago, had just volunteered to fight.
"Well, it would be pointless for your friend to fight someone weaker than Steven, wouldn't it? Who do you think pushed Steven down to being the second strongest in this club?" Xin asked Tom with a smirk.
*****
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