It was a bright morning at the Jin family compound, and Jin Longwei was at the 200 feet breakfast table with his massive ass family, rambling as usual, not letting anyone else speak.
Even his aunt who could caw as fiercely as a crow in an ordinary conversation found her voice drowned out by the bars he spat out of his mouth every second.
He was the rap god of their world!
His father and cousins sat around, half-listening, half-rolling their eyes, as Jin bragged about his "legendary duel" in the town square the day before.
Beneath, his ancestors rolled about in their graves,
wondering when the caw would stop cawing.
"I mean, can you imagine the fear in the eyes of the warrior from the P-Do Dojo?" Jin exclaimed, making wild gestures. "My power was practically too much for him. The man could barely stand after I unleashed my… er, unique techniques!" He smirked, basking in his own embellishments.
His cousin, Jin Hui—a genuinely skilled martial artist with the battle scars to prove it—grinned, revealing hideous and crooked yellow teeth that seemed to be freshly washed in cow's urine, "Unique techniques? And what would those be, Longwei? Flicking your fan around like a chicken?"
The table erupted in laughter.
Jin flushed but remembering how much he'd grown, he quickly recovered and said,
"Mock me all you want, Hui, but I have recently acquired a… rare technique," he lowered his voice for effect. "One I mastered on my own. It's called… Tiger Fist!"
Jin Hui's eyebrow shot up, barely containing his amusement. "Tiger Fist? You? Sure, cousin. I'd believe it… if I saw it in action. How about you perform it for us?"
Jin Longwei had never used it, how could he perform it? So he lied through his teeth, "It's a technique that's not to be used lightly. Unless I am in a life and death situation, I won't bring it out."
One of the younger cousins snickered, "I heard Big Cousin Hui took down an actual tiger last month. Maybe you should try it, too, Longwei? Not to mention, against a real tiger, there would be no reason to not use your almighty martial arts right?"
Jin paused, a bead of sweat forming on his temple.
The idea of facing a real tiger made his knees wobble a little, but his pride—and the laughter from his family—lit a fire in him.
"Of course, I could take down a tiger," he blurted out before he could stop himself. "It's practically a walk in the park for me!"
Jin Hui smirked, leaning back. "Well then, Longwei, how about a little hunting trip outside the village? Show us what this 'Tiger Fist' of yours can do against a real one. Prove to us that it's not just some, uh… System-sponsored lucky strike."
Jin Longwei swallowed but forced a laugh. "Fine. Let's leave 2 hours before sunset."
Who didn't know the forest becomes dark and overwhelmingly dangerous after dusk? It was better to go there when the sun was still up. He might not even face a real tiger if he was lucky enough.
"But we must return before dusk. I have a perfect body regime to uphold."
The regime didn't concern training to grow stronger.
It concerned indulging in luxury and comfort.
Every day before going to bed, Jin Longwei needed at least 18 maidens to beat his non existent muscle and help him take a bath before fanning him to sleep.
And that was just the tip of an iceberg of his luxury and hedonistic lifestyle.
"Yes, yes, whatever you say younger cousin," Jin Hui said.
Later that day...
Sanding outside the forest, Jin's initial bravado had all but evaporated.
The trees looked ominous, and every rustle sounded like something huge and hungry. But with his family nearby and his desire to prove them wrong, he took the greatest step of his life,
arousing the system to sound a notification.
New Quest: Prove Your Mettle Against a Real Tiger
Objective: Defeat a Tiger Using Tiger Fist
Reward: +20 Luck Points, Martial Arts Enhancing Card
Failure Penalty: Significant Loss of Family Reputation
"That's what I am talking about."
With newfound motivation, Jin Longwei trudged into the forest, mumbling to himself. "For the sake of my future, I shall slay a tiger."
He seemed to have offended the heavens with those words as a low growl as soon as he uttered them.
Jin froze, his heart pounding in his ribcage, as a massive, golden-furred tiger padded out of the underbrush, its eyes were locked on him as it salivated.
"Holy fuck, it's thinking of having me for dinner."
Jin Longwei's chrysanthemum tightened.
He felt the urge to fuck outta here.
No one was nearby, so he won't be losing any face!
He took a shaky step back, muttering, "Uh, hey there, buddy. No need to look at me like that. I am far less plump and freshly than I look. Behind these clothes, there's only skin and bones. You won't enjoy feasting on me."
Grr!
The tiger snarled, clearly not in the mood for negotiations.
Jin sighed. Popularity comes with its fair share of risk. He was so popular even a mindless animal didn't want to give up on him.
He couldn't outrun it, so he had to fight it.
With no other options, he raised his fists, took a deep breath, and called on the System to guide him in performing his first ever martial skill.
System Hint: To Successfully Use Tiger Fist, Channel Confidence and Strike with Precision
"Confidence. Precision. Got it…" he mumbled, raising his fists awkwardly.
The tiger growled again, clearly unimpressed by the half-hearted pose.
Jin Longwei didn't let its attempt to look down on him get to his heart. It was just a big dumb cat. What did it know of the greatness of man?
Jin took a deep breath and threw his first "Tiger Fist" punch, yelling "Hyaaah!" as he awkwardly jabbed at the air instead of the beast.
The tiger tilted its head, almost confused, then lunged with its claws. Jin yelped, ducking as it swiped past him. He stumbled, accidentally swinging his arm up—and somehow managed to land a glancing blow on the tiger's nose. The beast paused, momentarily stunned. Jin grinned, amazed at his luck.
"Yes! See? That's Tiger Fist for you!" Jin shouted, his confidence surging. He took a few steps back, hoping the tiger might just… give up. But the tiger shook off its daze, growling even louder. It charged, and Jin, now panicked, flailed his fists wildly. He took a clumsy step forward, slipped on a root, and spun with his arms flying.
One of his flailing fists accidentally connected with the tiger's jaw in the spin, making it stagger back, dazed once again.
[Reminder: Keep Going. A Few More Hits Will Secure Victory.] The System chimed, sounding almost encouraging. But Jin Longwei didn't take it for its words.
"It's easier said than done, especially when you have a angry tiger trying to bite the cheeks off your ass!"
Jin Longwei didn't want to lose his butt so he jumped onto a tree when the tiger pounced towards him. The tiger's maw snapped shut without catching anything as Jin Longwei climbed up the tree.
The tiger chased after him and began climbing up the tree he was on with ridiculous speed. It extended its neck to bite his butt
Desperation kicked in as he wildly kicked at the tiger's face. One kick after another landed on its face until its claws dislodged from the trunk and it fell down the tree.
Coincidentally, Jin Longwei accidentally slipped off the tree at that very moment.
He plunged straight towards the tiger that had been forced to fall down the tree it was climbing. He swung his fists and legds as he fell, landing a surprisingly solid punch right between the tiger's eyes and a kick on its beastly balls.
Guwahhhh!
The beast felt the pain of giving a thousand birth and fell unconscious.
Jin seized this chance. He picked up a huge nearby stone and brought it down on the tiger's head.
It woke up due to the pain, but fell unconscious again as Jin Longwei smashed its head with the stone again.
The same thing happened thrice before the tiger met the end of its life.
Quest Complete!
Reward: +20 Luck Points, New Title: Accidental Hero, Reputation Upgraded
"Yes! I… I did it!" he declared, raising a triumphant fist to the heavens.
As Jin basked in his "victory," he heard clapping behind him. He turned to see Jin Hui, who'd followed at a distance with a smirk on his face.
"Well, well," Hui said, fighting back laughter. "Looks like you took that tiger down. With, uh… whatever that was."
Jin stood up, ignoring his shaky legs. "It's Tiger Fist. A dangerous technique I mastered after a thousand Epiphanies."
Jin Hui rolled his eyes, "If bashing someone head into a paste with a rock is a martial art then the farts I let you all day are practically deadly chi blasts!"