"It's rare for you to come see me, Vernon." Robinson smiled from his desk chair.
"I came to ask you for something, Mr. Robinson."
"What's that?"
"Please, don't disqualify me," Vernon begged. "I have to win this tournament."
Robinson chuckled. "I admire your fighting spirit, but .... I won't change my decision."
"Why?"
"That's what happens when you dare refuse my request." Robinson grinned, showing his power.
'Just as I expected.'
"All I asked was for you to take Oliver's place, but you refused. You even chose to follow Colin's advice to make money instead of accepting my offer. But look at you now, you've lost everything." Robinson smiled politely, but his tone was mocking.
'He's a real bastard!' Vernon cursed in his heart.
"I'll make you one last offer." Robinson stared sharply at Vernon. "Now that Colin is no longer with Vagon BootCamp, will you take his position? Then I'll allow you to enter the Vagon tournament."
Join Oliver? That was as good as signing his own death warrant! Oliver would never forgive him for taking his best friend's spot.
"So, what's it going to be, Boy? Don't keep me waiting." Robinson looked at Vernon expectantly.
Vernon remained silent, weighing his options. All his choices were tough, none in his favor.
DING!
[Main Quest Appeared: Accept Robinson's offer]
[Reward: Silver Card]
"It seems like you're saying no. But no problem." Robinson leaned back in his chair, smiling mysteriously. "But I will—"
"I agree!" Vernon cut him off before Robinson could make any threats.
"Really?" Robinson smiled with satisfaction. "I'm glad to hear that. I'll inform Vagon's higher-ups."
Vernon quickly left and closed the door behind him. 'Shit!' He regretted his decision, but he had no other choice. He had to get his revenge on Xander.
Vernon left Robinson's office and headed back to the Vagon dorm. When he reached the ground floor of the dorm area, a handsome man, though not young anymore, approached him.
"Congratulations! You're officially part of Group B!"
Vernon froze, noticing the size of the man's hands. He was very friendly, unlike his three arrogant trainees. But Vernon ignored the outstretched hand, disgusted by the hypocrisy.
"Yeah, thanks," he replied indifferently.
Jerry smiled awkwardly and pulled his hand back. "I'll be your coach from today. We need to start training right away because the Vagon tournament begins in two days."
Vernon nodded, and Jerry headed towards Group B's training room. Vernon followed, feeling anxious and nervous. Did Colin's teammates already know about Robinson's decision? Would they accept it?
Especially Oliver.
As Jerry opened the door, all eyes turned to him.
"Why did you bring that bastard with you, Coach?" Oliver asked bitterly, glaring at Vernon.
Jerry grinned proudly, spreading his arms wide. "Vernon has joined our group. Come on, congratulate him!"
"Are you crazy?!!" Oliver cursed.
"You must be out of your mind!" Marino chimed in, while Adam stayed focused on his boxing training.
"No, this is Robinson's direct decision." Jerry explained.
"That bastard again!" Oliver swore.
Vernon had already predicted Oliver and his teammates' reactions.
"Stop complaining, Oliver. You guys should get pumped because the Vagon tournament is in two days."
"Now, let's train."
[Daily Quest Appeared: Jump Rope for 10 minutes]
[Difficulty: Special]
[Reward: 10 MP]
"Sorry, but I'll train alone today," Vernon interrupted.
"Why?" Jerry asked, slightly disappointed.
"Finally, you realize you don't belong here, you scum." Oliver sneered.
"Because I can focus better when I train by myself." Vernon ignored Oliver's insults. He didn't have time for pointless fights.
"Alright."
"I'll be going." Vernon left quickly before things could escalate further.
He went to the backyard of Vagon BootCamp, where fighters often ran or did other exercises.
He grabbed a jump rope from Group F's training area and began jumping. He swung the rope quickly and jumped over it. By the third minute, his legs started to feel tense, and sweat dripped from his body onto the ground.
Vernon stopped for a moment, panting as sharp pain stabbed his ribs.
"Why do I have to do something as light as this?"
[Skipping helps increase your speed and leg strength for Muay Thai kicks, Host.]
"Oh." Vernon hadn't expected such a simple exercise to have such an impact, sharpening the power of his kicks.
"Alright, let's finish this." He regained his motivation and started skipping again, ignoring the throbbing pain in his ribs.
After ten minutes passed, a notification popped up in front of Vernon.
[Congratulations! You completed the Special Level Daily Quest]
[Congratulations! You earned 10 MP]
Vernon smiled, satisfied. "This is a good start."
[Skills]
Boxing - LEVEL 3 (55/100 MP)
Muay Thai - LEVEL 1 (20/100 MP) UP!
He was excited to see the progress on his status screen.
'System, give me more quests. I need to master all martial arts so I can't be defeated!'
[I'm happy to see your enthusiasm, Host! I'll gladly help.]
[Request is being processed]
DING!
A transparent screen appeared again, showing a new notification.
[Daily Quest Appeared: Do Squats for 10 minutes.]
[Difficulty: Special]
[Reward: 10 MP]
[Benefit: Improves overall leg muscles for powerful Muay Thai kicks!]
'This quest is too easy!'
Vernon spread his feet shoulder-width apart, folded his arms in front of his chest, then slowly lowered his body as if sitting down. He repeated this until his legs—thighs to calves—burned with tension, signaling his muscles were working.
He controlled his breathing while focusing, as the pain in his ribs flared up again.
"Argh! Shit!" He suddenly stopped, stumbling and almost falling.
"Why does it hurt so much?" He complained.
"You should just give up because you'll never win." The voice appeared suddenly, making Vernon look up.
A red-haired man stared at him arrogantly.
"Go away, I don't feel like arguing," Vernon said coldly. "You should know I never wanted to join your group or take Colin's place, but I didn't have a choice. Robinson forced me."
"If you really didn't want to, why didn't you refuse him?" Oliver challenged. "You're a hypocrite!"
Oliver took a step closer to Vernon, closing the gap, and whispered, "This time, I swear I won't let you live when we fight in the Vagon tournament. I'll make sure you die in agony." He sneered wickedly.