It turns out Imperial Karate and Karate from his past life was very similar, it wasn't just karate though, it was arguably the most powerful Kyukushin karate style. It made sense from a military perspective although there were probably more effective martial arts to teach. Arthur still wasn't entirely sure how they were even teaching something so eerily similar to what he had learned in his former life.
Over the next 5 years Arthur learned the basics and advanced forms of Imperial Karate as well as quite a few other martial arts tailored to different weapons such as Kenjutsu for swordsmanship, Naginata Jutso for polearms, Tanto for short swords, and Teppo for firearms. The firearm training was a little bit shallow as they only had on older laser rifle and two small pistols, but marksmanship was still an important skill he would need to develop in preparation for the mecha piloting program. He also gained several stat points in strength, agility and endurance.
Right before Arthur turned 13 he got the long awaited system quest completion. Apparently the system finally figured he had mastered Imperial Karate and just in time too.
[Quest Complete: Learn the fighting style Imperial Karate]
[New skill obtained: Breaking Point]
Arthur excitedly looked at the new skill info in his interface to get the details.
[Breaking Point: allows user to see a targets weak points]
"That is a perfect skill for Mecha piloting if it transfers over to constructed enemy's as well!" thought Arthur. He briefly glanced at his dad and noticed a slight discoloration around his fathers knee.
"Dad? Is there something wrong with your knee?" Asked Arthur.
"How did you know?" asked James. "I know I have never talked to you about that old injury and I didn't even think it was noticeable."
"I noticed you favored it while training the past few years in Imperial Karate, I just never thought to ask about it" lied Arthur.
"Well son, it's nothing much, just an old injury from the military" replied James while he visibly rubbed his right knee.
"Don't they have the ability to fix all injuries like that in the military?" Asked Arthur. After all, keeping the troops in top shape was the highest priority in case something happened and they were deployed.
"I purposely refused the full treatment. After all, it's practically healed and I wanted a reminder to always be situational aware and prepared anytime mechas were involved. I made a mistake one day and broke my knee under a falling armor plate. I managed to avoid to worst of it but I paid the price for my negligence." Said James
"I'll remember that lesson and heed it well." Replied Arthur
James and Arthur packed it up for the day and went inside for dinner. It was a momentous day unknown to everyone else. Arthur had gained his first ability and with the extra stat points he had gained over the years from the few levels he had gained and the training, his system was shaping up. Sitting down, Arthur went through his interface to see where he was currently at and what he needed to work on, after all, academy selection was right around the corner and he needed to be in top shape to make sure he got in.
[Name: Arthur Wright]
[Race: Human]
[Level 5]
[10,950/50,000 EXP]
***Primary Stats***
[Points Available 0]
[HP 16/16]
[Strength: 9]
[Dexterity:6]
[Stamina:7]
***Skills***
Breaking Point
"I really need to think about leveling out these stat points or people are going to think I'm a big dumb brute at school" Thought Arthur.
Just then he was interrupted by his mother, handing him a plate of dinner. Arthur saw a juicy steak paired with mashed potatoes smothered in a brown gravy.
"What's the special occasion?" asked Arthur.
"The academy will be sending out recruiters next week and we want to enjoy our time together before you start your long academy career" said Laura.
"I didn't realize we were so close, it almost feels early" said Arthur.
"Early?" asked his mother. "We can't teach you much more with our basic knowledge. The imperial academy is the best place to learn and get placement into the Mecha piloting program"
Laura then went on to explain the next several years of Arthurs life. Arthur would be taken and assessed after he got to the academy grounds. Based on his assessment, he'd join the class that most suited his capabilities after the initial year long basic training that everyone was subjected to. Students would progress or be demoted based on performance. If you didn't get the advanced placement you wanted, it was possible to earn a "promotion" of sorts into a better program depending on the merits and improvement you displayed.
The first 2 years would be more tailored to the basics. Every cadet would learn the military way of doing things; proper dress, grooming, marching, hand to hand combat, weapons training, physical fitness standards, teamwork and most importantly, discipline. Without discipline your combat effectiveness would be severely lacking and would make an easy target for the enemy.
Once the 2 years were over, you would move into more advanced courses. Some would go on to learn the basics of infantry, while others would learn the various basic essential functions of support for the military, while a select few would be introduced to mecha basics and would start their training to get into the mecha pilot program. There were always exceptions to the rule of course and Arthur was banking on blowing away all his tests and training to get to the top faster.
The week went by quick and Arthur was finally prepared to make his long journey with the recruiters once they made it to town to pick up the various recruits. His parents escorted him to the square where quite a few families were waiting with their kids to see them off to their new life in the academy.
The wait wasn't to long as 30 minute later Arthur looked up and could see several transports entering the town. The recruiters had arrived and the next part of his journey would finally start.