Evan stood outside the gym Zara recommended to him and was in awe. It wasn't a simple gym like he thought. It was a 4 story gym where elites and MMA fighters came to train and practice their craft.
He gulped and entered the place. He saw in the lobby area many people who were in good physical condition, some amateurs, and even some beginners who were only a week or two into their training.
He approached the desk once the most recent person there left for the next floor. There was a petite Asian girl there with shoulder length straight hair and brilliant brown eyes. She smiled at him and asked the usual question of, "Hello sir! How are you? Are you looking to sign up?"
Evan looked at the rates and his heart nearly burst from his chest. A month sign up was about 600$! and that was the average membership! Advanced was 1,000$ a month! And Pro membership was up to 1,500$! He looked at the girl and found her name to be Miu and asked, "Well yes. i was told by a friend of mine that I could sign up for a month trial membership first to see how I do? Her name is on this card? Zara Nikumu?"
Miu took the card and gasped at it before scanning the QR code on the back. She hears a ding from the machine and hands the card back. She smiles at him while handing him a clipboard for membership sign ups. "Yes! It checks out! Ms. Zara is the owners daughter and one of our personal athletes for the pro circuit of MMA here! so her recommendation goes to a full month of paid Pro level membership!"
Evans eyes bulge out and would have popped out of their sockets if they were able to.
A full month of Pro membership from her word and card? This girl really was the owners daughter! He had to train hard here to use that time to the max!
He got the tour from Miu around the gym. First floor was some basic training machines and hit bag training as well. Second floor was full of dance studios to spar and do group training in. Third floor was where heavier duty machines were being used by the pro athletes of the gym. Fourth floor had the professional sparring rings similar to a boxing gym but a ring for each sport. Wrestling ring, Boxing ring, MMA ring, Cage ring, every popular sports ring was here.
Miu introduced him to some of the trainers for each floor as he went around and on the tour of the bottom floor he was introduced to the lockers and the showers. He also learned about their snack and food bar for light meals and healthy drinks to boost recovery and help build healthy life style habits.
After all of that Evan thanked Miu and headed off to home to see if he could find his old workout gear.
He gets home safely while texting Zara that he used her recommendation to grab the membership. He asked if she was sure about giving him access to the Pro but she assured him it was good while congratulating him about his quick sign up. She said she saw something in him that she hasn't seen since her fathers era of fighting.
He asked for clarification but she left him hanging, 'Must be something about my spirit or my drive or even talent she saw. Well she's not wrong. My drive to live better for those I have lost has never been higher than now!'
He prepared his old martial arts bag for tomorrow and some gym gear before he checked his stats again.
Name: Evan McLean
Race: Human
Level: 8
HP: 80/80
MP: Locked
Ki: Locked
Str: 7 (+6)
Agi: 6 (+6)
End: 9 (+6)
Int: 28
Sense: 15
Skills:
Uncanny luck: Boosted luck that makes you seem like the luckiest guy in the world
Karate Initiate: gain +2 to all physical stats and learn karate up to mid belt tier
Muay Thai Initiate: gain +2 to all physical stats and learn Muay Thai up to mid tier practitioner
Kick Boxing initiate: gain +2 to all physical stats and learn Kick Boxing up to amateur level
He hums as he sees his stats looking much better than before. And his body reflects that. He is still skinny and malnourished. To the point where his ribs can still be seen. But he is no longer skin and bones. You can actually see some thin muscles along his arms, legs, and hos abs. Nothing major yet but he should recover those soon enough.
He crossed his legs as he thought about his future. The company he is at is a dead end position. Just something he picked up during college to pay his student loans. He isn't in line for promotions and his salary os just barely above mid-minimum wage hourly. So even with earning 24 an hour he knew he needed something he was passionate in to grow and live with.
He then glanced at his stats and his starting skills. Grinning he says out loud, "Welp. Looks like I'm going to be a fighter for the next few years of my life! I have a lot to recover and catch up from... but with my system helping me I can do it!"
He checks about any other skills he could use right now and finds he can upgrade all of his martial arts styles. And can even streamline it into a mash up skill with sub skills under it.
He saw he needed at least 5,000$ for that to work. But he knew where to grab that.
He went back to the deli despite it being close to 7pm and gained another +1 to str and end from the brisk walk. he also shockingly gained +1 agi from speeding up. He chuckled and asked the owner for a full sandwich this time with the owner grinning at his appetite finally growing.
Then he bought 10 more 5,000 possible scratchers before brining them home. He went to work and found he had a total of 5 -400$ winners 2- 800$ winners and the last three were all 2,500$ winners.
He slumped against his bed at that before grabbing them all and took his backpack as well. He made it to the pay out lotto office before they closed at 8pm and had them pay the cash in full into his pack. The teller asked how he got some many winners in one day as this teller was the same one as last time. He answered easily, "Oh my friends at work bought at least a hundred of these each after telling them my success and i volunteered to go pay them out for them as long as I got around 50 from each ticket."
The teller nods with a smile accepting the answer before handing him the receipt for each ticket so his friends could see the transactions for each. Evan left with a thank you and a pack full of 11,100$!
He headed home to use the cash on his skill before he noticed he was being followed. He picked up the pace and ran into his home and placed the cash on the table before placing the only chair he had in his place and his desk against the door.
He heard about 4 sets of feet coming towards his door and rushed to his skill tab. First he spent the 5k to mix the skills into one.
Martial Prodigy: For each martial art you learn you gain bonuses to your stats based on each style and their rank. And you have the skill to match. Each rank in the martial art is equal to 1 year of training in them.
Karate I: +2 to str and end
Muay Thai I: +2 to str and end
Kick Boxing I: +2 to str and end
Evan heard his door knob jiggle and then a frustrated punch against his door. He texted Zara that he was being robbed and they were trying to break down his door. She texted back that uniforms were on the way and to keep them out until they got there.
He texted back that he would try before spending more money on his skills.
He decided that the door won't hold forever so he bought 6 more skills to even himself out. Each rank I skill was a solid 1,000$.
Tough stuff I: Your body grows healthier and is now tougher +4 to end, +5 to HP per level
Healing factor I: Regenerate 2 HP per minute
Learning Prodigy I: You are now able to learn things both body and mind related much faster! Your body is now closer to being a super human adaptation! X2 learning speed. (ex: gain 10 points of str in 2 days of hard exercise instead of 4 days)
Gymnast I: Your body is way more flexible now! And you are more aware of your space, +2 agi +2 sense
Strategist I: Know yourself and know your foe +3 to int from thinking fast and better now!
Enhanced Reflexes I: React faster! And catch them before they catch you! +2 agi and +2 sense
Evan checked his stats as his door was now cracking. It was something to help boost him but he wasn't complaining at this point.
Name: Evan McLean
Race: Human
Level: 8
HP: 120/120
MP: Locked
Ki: Locked
Str: 7 (+6)
Agi: 6 (+10)
End: 9 (+10)
Int: 28 (+3)
Sense: 15 (+4)
Skills:
Uncanny luck: Boosted luck that makes you seem like the luckiest guy in the world
Martial Prodigy: For each martial art you learn you gain bonuses to your stats based on each style and their rank. And you have the skill to match. Each rank in the martial art is equal to 1 year of training in them.
Karate I: +2 to str and end
Muay Thai I: +2 to str and end
Kick Boxing I: +2 to str and end
Tough stuff I: Your body grows healthier and is now tougher +4 to end, +5 to HP per level
Healing factor I: Regenerate 2 HP per minute
Learning Prodigy I: You are now able to learn things both body and mind related much faster! Your body is now closer to being a super human adaptation! X2 learning speed.
Gymnast I: Your body is way more flexible now! And you are more aware of your space, +2 agi +2 sense
Strategist I: +3 to int from thinking fast and better now!
Enhanced Reflexes I: React faster! +2 agi and +2 sense
Evan quickly put the last 100 in his pack and readies his fists while also putting his leg under the slim coffee table. The door breaks and it reveals a group of 4 people.
Three look new and like robbers. One of them look familiar though. It was Mohawk! He yells out, "That's the fucker who hurt the young mistress! Kill him!"
The three in front all brandish their crowbars and rush him. Evan quickly flips the coffee table at them and hits the lead guy with it breaking it against his skull.
The second guy shoves the first into the kitchen area and tries to stab into Evan. Only to find him missing, he hears a creak below and sees Evan has crouched like spider man and quickly jumps up with a twin twister punch into his jaw. The man was caught unaware so his defense was non existent. He crumples to the floor like a pile of cards. The third guy comes in with a crowbar raised and brings it down towards Evan. He quickly dodges to the side and with a kiai yell elbow strikes the man abs.
Thug 3 gasps from the hit but Evan notices he is only winded thanks to a combat suppression suit underneath his shirt. He quickly changed tactics and shoots out a heel smash into the mans ankle hearing a satisfying snap in the joint. Evan sees him fall and makes sure he stays down with a Muay Thai elbow to the temple.
That man joins Thug 2 in dream land while Thug 1 comes out from the kitchen with a knife in hand. He begins to swing it at Evan who dodges and weaves as much as he can from it. It knicks him a few times while Evan nails the Thug in the sides and legs during those glancing blows. The Thug finally notices that he is taking damage faster than Evan is gets ready to run. Only to find that once he begins to retreat Evan rushes into his now open guard. He does a Karate spinning arm block to bash the arms out of the way before landing a chest and fact combo punch to the Thug.
All three thugs are now on the ground with a sweating and panting Evan who looks at Mohawk. He eeps at seeing Evan take out all three guys and tries to run only to hear from down the hall, "Stop! Police!"
He surrenders immediately while dropping to his knees. The cops cuff him and the thugs while bringing Evan down to the ambulance they had brought with them in case the worst had happened.
Zara comes over in her police uniform this time and checks Evan from head to toe, "You seem to be a magnet for these guys!"
Evan chuckles while the EMT treats his light cuts and Evan glances at the gang being stuffed into some police cars. He asks, "So... they gang members or something?"
Zara sighs and nods her head before bringing up her tablet and showing Evan the trio he fought that afternoon. "Yeah. Girl is the gang leaders daughter. Muscles here is her boyfriend and an enforcer. While Mohawk over there is a friend. They wanted revenge on you since they laid bail and were free to go harass others again. Doubt they will do it a second time. Too much heat now. But you'll need a new residence for now due to... your room being a gang crime scene."
Evan nods before going up with Zara to grab his few clothes, laptop, bed sheets, and toiletries before heading down. Evan thinks about which of his friends can put him up for the night before Zara comes beside him and says, "Hey don't worry Evan! I got you!"
After processing the crooks and getting Evan cleared by the EMT on site. They head to the gym. More accurately behind the gym. Zara explains how some of their employees and pro members of the gym complained about the long commute through New York traffic and they bought this apartment complex behind the gym to give them a simple walk to work. Evan nods and something in his mind clicks as he realizes he gets this same opportunity thanks to his current membership being temp pro. Zara sees the light bulb expression and chuckles before bringing him to an open room.
It is a simple 2 bed 1 bath dorm room. But it was wat more space than Evan had before. He thanked Zara with a hug and she hugs him right back. She couldn't help but note the decent amount of muscle growing on him with that hug nodding to herself that she chose right by this guy. And him being 6ft as well was a nice bonus. She doesn't mind guys who are shorter than her but she is tired of smaller guys she tries to date being intimidated. If their budding friendship turns into something more she hopes it won't be an issue.
She bids him goodnight after a nice hug between them and heads off back to the precinct for the reports and a little support for Evan after this mess.
He unpacks and makes himself at home in his room before laying on his bed with a sigh. He suddenly gets a notification telling him he has leveled up twice today. He sits up and checks his level and stats only.
Name: Evan McLean
Race: Human
Level: 10
HP: 150/150
MP: Locked
Ki: Locked
Str: 11 (+6)
Agi: 9 (+10)
End: 12 (+10)
Int: 30 (+3)
Sense: 17 (+4)
Evan noticed that his stats all grow by 1 per level. This will be a nice boost to his abilities as he gets up there in skills and strength. But it looks like the only way to gain those boosts it to level up. And to level up he needs to fight. So he looks around the room and finds a flyer for the gym. It states they are recruiting new gym members, then office staff, and trainers. But the one that catches his eye the most is the last page. It says they are looking for fighters to put into the MMA tournament circuit at the start of next month. Which means he would get the chance to train and grow while getting many chances to fight. He grins as a plan comes together in his mind.