The next day began with the sound of the alarm clock echoing in the bedroom, but it was quickly silenced by the hand of Ikaris, who was still half asleep. He blinked a few times, feeling Laila's familiar weight on him. The warmth of her body comforted him, and for a moment he just lay there, enjoying the sensation.
But the tranquillity was short-lived.
[Ding]
[Attention, the host didn't complete yesterday's daily mission]
"Shit..." Ikaris muttered softly, feeling a slight frustration rise up inside him. He had completely forgotten about his training, something that didn't usually happen.
Laila moved a little beside him, her hand still tangled in his hair. "Mmh... stop moving, Ikaris..."
He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. Nothing he did now would change what had happened. He would just have to make up for it later.
Looking at the system screen, he realized something.
"I never went to train with Kuririn anymore..."
Using his mind to fiddle with the system's interface, a trick he had recently discovered over the last few weeks, he arrived at the masters tab.
Masters ->
Kuririn (Available)
With just one thought, I selected Kuririn and my Ki senses began to dull, I could feel absolutely nothing around me.
[Ding]
[Creating training space]
[Attention, moving host mind to virtual space]
Soon I was in that familiar space, and my dear bald monk was sitting in front of me.
"Heyo, looks like it's been a while, huh kid? Your aura has changed completely, the last time I saw you, you were a complete novice hahaha" Kuririn stood up and spoke cheerfully to me, you know, sometimes this kind of interaction seems a bit forced, but I knew it wasn't, I had indeed changed a lot in two weeks, and I thank Kael for that.
"Hehe, I've learned some new tricks, let's go! I want to show them to you Kuririn!" I began to prepare myself by getting into battle pose.
Kuririn crossed his arms and smiled. "Heh, that confidence of yours reminds me of someone... But I'll warn you, kid, don't think that just because you've evolved a bit, you can beat me easily. Let's see what you're really capable of."
As soon as Kuririn had finished speaking, he disappeared. Ikaris felt a shiver run up his spine and instinctively jumped backwards, dodging a blow that came out of nowhere. The air around him distorted slightly and, at the last second, he saw Kuririn's silhouette materialize with a confident smile.
"Not bad! Your reflexes are much better!" Kuririn complimented before spinning in the air and firing a sharp kick towards Ikaris' chest.
Ikaris managed to cross his arms in time to block, but the force of the impact sent him sliding backwards, striking the ground. He felt the impact reverberate through his muscles, but instead of being intimidated, he smiled. "So you're not taking it easy, huh? That's what I needed."
Kuririn laughed. "I never take training lightly, kid! Now, show me your true power!"
Ikaris took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a brief moment. He felt the energy inside him, pulsing like a river of lava under his skin. Training with Kael had forced him to release parts of his potential, and now he wanted to see how far he could take it.
When he opened his eyes again, a faint golden aura flickered around him. He propelled himself forward with surprising speed, appearing right in front of Kuririn. The monk's eyes widened, but he didn't have time to react when a sharp punch hit his abdomen, forcing him backwards.
Kuririn stabilized himself in the air and ran his hand over the affected area. "That... was a good hit! You're definitely on another level compared to last time."
Ikaris didn't wait for more praise. He advanced again, firing a rapid sequence of blows. Kuririn blocked most of them, but realized that he was having more difficulty than he expected. Each of Ikaris' attacks was precise, each movement flowed better, as if he had finally found a natural rhythm for fighting.
"Very good!" Kuririn exclaimed, dodging to the side and launching a Kienzan without hesitation.
Ikaris' eyes widened. The energy disk was coming towards him at high speed, spinning with lethal precision. His body moved before his mind could even process the danger. He ducked at the last second, feeling Ki's blade scrape across the top of his head, severing a few strands of hair.
"Hey, that almost hit me!" He complained, regaining his balance.
Kuririn shrugged. "I told you I wasn't going to take it easy. If you really want to evolve, you have to be prepared for anything."
Ikaris nodded. He knew Kuririn was right. If he really wanted to become stronger, he couldn't be complacent. He took a deep breath and, this time, didn't hesitate to release his energy completely. His aura grew around him, and an intense glow took over the battlefield.
Kuririn smiled, feeling the change in the atmosphere. "Now it's time... Let's see what you can really do!"
The fight resumed with even more intensity. Ikaris' blows were quick and precise, forcing Kuririn to push himself harder and harder. For the first time, he felt he was at his limit against his young pupil.
The two warriors exchanged blows across the virtual battlefield, creating shockwaves that echoed around them. Each impact made the ground shake, each deflection was calculated to the millimeter.
Until, in an instant of pure instinct, Ikaris moved with a speed that not even Kuririn could predict. He appeared behind the monk and landed a sharp blow in the middle of his back, knocking him forward.
Kuririn regained control in the air and landed softly on the ground, panting. "Right... I get it. You really have reached a new level. I think that's enough for today."
I landed on the ground with a slight smile, also breathing heavily. "Thank you, Kuririn. This training was exactly what I needed."
Kuririn smiled back. "Well, you have the skill and the instincts, the only thing you lack is proper technique."
And then he let out a sigh of resignation "Arf, if only Master Kame were here, he'd be the best one to teach you that, but well, the basics are much better than nothing, come here kid." Suddenly I noticed something strange in Kuririn's eyes... I didn't know what it was, but it gave me the creeps, and I didn't dare disobey him.
.........
Days later...
God, I really wish I'd disconnected from this when I had the chance.
Here I was, lying on the ground, I had been fighting Kuririn with pure technique, he had even intentionally weakened himself, but the result of our struggles was completely different from the first exchange of blows...
I was destroyed, no, a better word for it is ANIQUILATED!
Holy shit, no wonder he complained that I lacked technique, that's just ABSURD! I feel like I've been fighting like a monkey until now.
I don't know how many days I've been here, it's been so long that Kuririn has been guiding me, my only relief is knowing that no matter how long I spend here, in the real world only half an hour will pass.
I stood up, feeling a slight phantom pain in my muscles, but it was nothing compared to the pain I went through to get here.
Kuririn was watching me from afar with a smile. "There's nothing more I can teach you for now, you should get used to your new techniques in the real world."
He was right, staying here now would be counterproductive for myself.
"Thanks for everything, Master Kuririn!" I clenched my hands into fists and bowed slightly to him, I had no idea what that meant, but I had seen some videos of fighters doing it.
"See you later kid, don't let me down!"
Before I could fully process it, everything around me began to distort. The virtual space blurred, and I felt my consciousness return to the real world. I opened my eyes, I was back in my room, with Laila still sleeping peacefully beside me. My body felt relaxed, but full of renewed energy.
I looked up at the ceiling, reflecting on the training. My strength was growing rapidly, but I knew there was still a long way to go.
[Ding]
[Calculating gains...]
[Congratulations to the host for completing his first training session with Kuririn]
Results ->
Fighting power: 121 ->189
Skills:
[Turtle School Fighting Style - lvl2]
The fighting style of the turtle school, coming from a remote and forgotten place, this fighting style has created the greatest fighters in the universe.
[Pain tolerance - lvl53 -> lvl57]
Increases your ability to withstand pain, doesn't cancel it out, but makes it bearable
[Indomitable spirit - lvl2 -> lvl3]
???????????
[Martial Arts - lvl37 -> lvl63]
His ability to analyze a battle, and his proficiency in fighting.
[Self-Control - lvl19 -> lvl26]
Allows the host to remain calm and think rationally in times of stress
Decreases the chance of entering a berserker state by 26%
Ki control - 36% -> 38%
"Wow, those were quite a few gains..." Well, that was to be expected, thanks to that hellish training Kuririn put him through...
I was careful not to move, this position was great, and I didn't want to wake Laila. Then I remembered the words of the bald monk when I asked about my unlocked hidden power status.
................
"Oh, that? it's quite simple really, every martial artist goes through it, in fact that's your hidden power, but the way you're using it, it's like it's an external power" We were sitting on a grass field, I was receiving a theoretical lesson on various subjects, some boring, some interesting, according to Kuririn this was something obligatory in the Turtle School training.
As Master Kame used to say, it's no use having strong muscles if you don't have an intelligent mind!
Although I think he skipped this part with Goku...
"The correct way to use this energy is to find it, and integrate it into your daily life. Over time, it will become part of your Ki, and to a certain extent it will strengthen you... although we all did this when our 'fighting power' was in the tens." The bald monk then went on to explain the workings of the human body itself, and how it interacted with Ki.
................
"I have to integrate this energy with my Ki..."
Ikaris closed his eyes for a moment, feeling his own Ki flow through his body. He knew that this was the next step. If he managed to fully integrate this energy within himself, his power would not only stabilize, but would also become something natural, without the need to release his aura so intensely.
He took a deep breath, allowing his mind to absorb Kuririn's words. He had already made so much progress, but there was still so much to learn. Slowly, he began to regulate his breathing, feeling the energy inside him vibrate differently. For the first time, it felt less like a wild flame and more like a calm river, flowing through his entire being.
He felt a slight movement beside him and opened his eyes to see Laila stirring in bed, slowly waking up. Her eyes met his, still half asleep, and she smiled slightly. "Have you been awake long?"
Ikaris shook his head. "Not long. I was just thinking about some things."
Laila stretched and yawned, still keeping her gaze on him. "You seem... different. I can't explain it, but there's something different about you today."
He smiled, still feeling that energy flowing through him. "I think I've finally understood something important. But that's for later." He leaned over a little and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. "Good morning."
She smiled, closing her eyes for a moment. "Good morning to you too."
They were both silent for a few moments, enjoying the tranquillity of the moment. But then Ikaris' stomach rumbled loudly, breaking the peace.
Laila laughed. "I think someone's hungry. Shall we make something to eat?"
He nodded quickly. "Yes, but this time I want to cook. I think my accelerated metabolism requires me to make my own food."
Laila arched an eyebrow. "You cooking? What are you going to do?"
They both left the room and went into the kitchen. Ikaris began to gather the ingredients, trying to think of something to make. Laila watched, trying to hold back her laughter as he fumbled a little with the utensils.
After a few attempts and some disastrous failures, including a moment when he almost set a pan on fire, don't ask me how I managed that feat, he finally managed to make something decent: a large plate of scrambled eggs with toast and orange juice.
Laila looked at the plate in surprise. "Wow... that really looks good."
Ikaris smiled proudly. "See, I may be small, but I can still do some things."
The two of them sat down to eat, and as they ate, Laila looked at him thoughtfully. "So... what now? What are you going to do today? Are you going to train again?"
He finished chewing before answering. "Actually, I think today I just want to enjoy the day. I don't have anything urgent to do, so why not relax a bit?"
Laila smiled. "I think that's a good idea. After everything you've been through these last few weeks, I think you deserve a day of rest."
The two spent the morning chatting and enjoying the moment. It was a rare day of peace for Ikaris, no exhausting training, no battles, no missions. Just him and Laila, enjoying some time together.
But deep down, he knew it wouldn't last forever. There was much more ahead, and his path to becoming stronger was only just beginning.
For now, however, he would allow himself a moment of normality before facing the challenges that still lay ahead.
He knew... This world was not normal, the notification he had received from the system that day in the car was still in his head.
[Ding]
[Anomaly detected in the area - Danger level unknown - It is recommended that the host leave the location as soon as possible].