[Noted. Transferring the needed knowledge into body movements]
With lightning speed, Joshua initiated a punch. His fist sliced through the air, generating a resounding 'Whoosh' sound. Without missing the timing, he transitioned seamlessly into a palm strike, hitting Aaren straight on his chest.
The students watched in awe as Joshua made his final move, the roundhouse kick. With a swift pivot, he spun his body around, generating momentum. His leg extended outward with remarkable speed and precision.
Aaren fell with a thud, Skye gritted his teeth while Morgan stood up, her mouth open wide.
'I don't know if he deserves to be called a monster, because he has already exceeded the level of a newbie. Transitioning through three progressive skills, a talent like his is rare,' thought Master Jake."
"If I can move my body like this at level 10, what can I expect at level 100? My speed would probably be at the level of Barry Allen," he thought, holding a neutral smile.
The system notification popped up:
[Achievement]
[+10 damage has successfully been delivered to your opponent]
Reward: Unlock the ability to use any martial arts technique of high level once.
Immediately, a thought rushed in, making Joshua smile.
The bell rang as Master Jake announced the winner of the duel. He handed Joshua a karate club uniform and a brown belt.
The whole student body erupted in applause.
"Joshua just broke the record by receiving a brown belt on his first day."
"You earned it with your effort," Master Jake announced. "That's all for today. I advise you all to put more effort and devotion into your training," he said, heading back to his office.
Morgan ran up to Joshua with a hug. His face turned red as he embraced her. He could smell the fragrance of her hair, a nice scent wafting through the air.
Joshua took a deep breath.
"I still can't believe you did that with your skinny body," she said.
It was at that moment Joshua realized that despite undergoing transformation from the system, his body remained skinny. He hadn't expected that.
[I can only heal and give out quests to make your body grow faster. I can't restructure your body at will.]
"Okay," he thought.
Sam stood up and watched Morgan and Joshua displaying affection towards each other. He wondered when Joshua was going to let go of Morgan.
Deciding to interject, he coughed and said, "Aren't you satisfied with just victory?"
Joshua was perplexed, trying to understand what Sam meant by that statement.
"You want to conquer her too, huh!"
Joshua smiled and released Morgan from his grasp.
Skye headed to meet Joshua, concealing his contempt and disgust towards him. He greeted Joshua with a smile displayed on his face.
"Congratulations on successfully joining our karate club. My name is Skye, and I'm one of the captains here. I would love for you to be under my care," he said calmly, showcasing dominance and elegance. Despite feeling contempt towards Joshua for getting too close to Morgan, Skye didn't want to miss out on having a talented member in his group.
Joshua looked at Skye and gave a simple response, "I have someone in mind."
"Who?" Skye asked, his curiosity etched on his face.
"Who else?" Sam replied.
Just then, John approached with a smile and greeted everyone.
Skye gritted his teeth, clenching his fist. "John, Morgan, now I know what you both are up to. But don't worry, everything will prove futile in the end," he said furiously as he walked away.
Morgan smiled as Skye walked away, furious.
"Morgan, it's been a long time. I hope you haven't slacked off?" John said.
"I'll be sure to get to you this time," she replied.
Joshua and Sam were surprised. They never knew these two had that kind of relationship.
John stared at Sam for a while and said, "I saw your review and it was quite captivating. If that's what you want, I have a good place for you to showcase who you really want to be. Well, only if you are interested."
"Oh! And where is that?" he asked.
Master Jake walked up to them with his usual neutral face and said, "It seems you've chosen who you want to be captained under. Train him well, maybe we would have a chance to win the next upcoming competition."
John thought inwardly with a smile, "He might even be the one to end up guiding me."
"I'll try my best, Master Jake," John said with a smile.
Master Jake nodded his head as he walked back into his cozy office.
"Tell me more about the place," Joshua said.
John glanced at Morgan, who returned the nod.
"It is a place where high schoolers duel to determine the strongest," he said.
"Are you also a participant?" Joshua asked.
"Yes."
A long time ago, there existed an organization. The main mission of this organization was to gather skilled fighters, mainly young ones. The only place they could find and recruit talents from different places was in high schools.
They infiltrated each available high school with a martial arts club system. Gradually, they began to entice these young talents with benefits and promises, while all they really needed was the thrills and excitement of the matches recorded and transferred to their main sponsor.
The reason behind their actions remained unknown to the group. All they were really after was to perform their duties and receive their pay.
One thing was certain, all that was a decoy.
John and Morgan happened to be core members within the organization known as the Council. John, who had been willing to get stronger to fulfill his purpose within the organization, met Joshua, who possessed crucial talent. Therefore, he decided to recruit Joshua.
"System, I want you to do me a favor," Joshua thought inwardly.
[That's why I'm here, Joshua. To help and guide you towards your growth.]
"Show me Morgan and John's full stats," he thought inwardly.
[System: Observation]
[Name: John] Level: ??
Strength: ??
Agility: ??
Speed: ??
Trait: Martial Arts - Karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Boxing (adept at both inboxing and outboxing)
[System: Observation]
[Name: Morgan Everhart] Level: ??
Strength: ??
Agility: ??
Speed: ??
Trait: Muay Thai and Krav Maga.
Simultaneously, a system notification popped up.
[System Missions]
1. [Mission 1: The Shadows]
- Objective: [Discover the main objective of the Shadows]
- Progress: [0%]
- Rewards: According to your performance.
- Time limit: 2 years
- Failure: Death.
2. [Sub-Mission 2]
- Objective: [Rise through the ranks]
- Progress: [0%]
- Rewards: Unlock all martial arts skills.
"What!" he exclaimed outwardly, without noticing.