"The past does not define me. The present is my battlefield."
The Training Grounds – A Changed Man
The dull thud of wood against flesh echoed across the training grounds.
The watching students stood in stunned silence, their eyes locked onto the scene before them.
Joshua Lim, an average 2-star student, had just defeated Wei Cheng—one of the more skilled fighters in their class—in under ten seconds.
This wasn't normal.
Joshua himself knew that better than anyone.
He wasn't supposed to be this fast, this sharp, this precise.
He had expected an adjustment period—time to get used to his younger body again. Yet when he moved, it was as if decades of battle instinct had never left him.
His reflexes were too clean, his strikes too efficient.
This wasn't the fighting style of a 2-star student.
It was the fighting style of a man who had reached the pinnacle of hunter combat.
Instructor Zhao's narrowed eyes were proof enough that he had noticed something unusual.
"…Joshua Lim," the veteran instructor called out. His deep voice cut through the whispers that had started among the students. "Step forward."
Joshua calmly released his grip on the wooden sword, letting it rest at his side. He approached without hesitation, stopping a few feet from the instructor.
Zhao studied him for a long moment before speaking.
"That was impressive."
Joshua simply nodded. "Thank you, Instructor."
But Zhao wasn't finished.
"You've never fought like that before." His voice was sharp, searching for answers. "Your movements. Your precision. You fought as if you were reading every attack before it happened. That's not something an average 2-star hunter should be capable of."
The other students murmured in agreement. No one had ever seen Joshua fight like that before.
Wei, who had just picked himself up from the ground, looked at Joshua with wide eyes. "Yeah, what the hell was that?"
Joshua exhaled slowly. He had expected this reaction.
He had improved too quickly, and people were noticing.
This wasn't good.
He couldn't afford to draw too much attention to himself yet. If people started investigating him, it could cause problems later down the line.
So, he chose his words carefully.
"I've been training harder lately," Joshua said, keeping his tone even. "That's all."
Instructor Zhao raised an eyebrow. "Training?"
"Yes," Joshua said, giving a slight shrug. "I realized I wasn't pushing myself enough. So I started working harder."
A half-truth.
The best kind of lie.
Zhao watched him for a long moment, then nodded. "Good."
Joshua kept his face neutral, but inwardly, he exhaled in relief.
For now, his secret was safe.
But he would need to be more careful moving forward.
End of Training – The System Awakens
The rest of the training session went as expected.
Joshua held back, blending in with the rest of the students. He still outperformed most of them, but not in a way that seemed impossible.
By the time training ended, he was drenched in sweat, his muscles burning with exertion.
And yet—
He felt alive.
His body was young again. He was stronger than before. Faster. More efficient.
The thrill of combat still burned within him.
As he wiped the sweat from his brow, a sudden chime echoed in his mind.
[DING!]
Joshua's eyes widened slightly as a translucent blue screen materialized in front of him.
[SYSTEM QUEST: First Steps to Power]
Objective: Defeat 10 opponents in combat.
Progress: 1/10
Reward: +1 Level, Bonus Skill Unlock
Penalty for Failure: None.
Joshua's breath hitched.
A quest?
His heartbeat quickened.
This was it—the first step in his system's growth.
In his previous life, no such system had existed. There were no quests, no progression mechanics. But now, the system was actively pushing him toward combat and growth.
And the reward…
Leveling up?
That meant his stats would increase faster than normal training.
Not only that, but a bonus skill unlock?
Joshua clenched his fists.
The system wasn't just a tool.
It was an accelerator.
It was giving him the means to rise faster than anyone had ever seen.
Walking Back to the Dorms – A Plan Begins
As the students left the training grounds, Joshua walked alongside Wei Cheng.
"Alright, you bastard," Wei said, shoving his shoulder lightly. "You're not fooling me. What the hell kind of 'training' did you do to improve like that?"
Joshua chuckled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"I would like to know!" Wei huffed. "You made me look bad today."
"You did that to yourself."
Wei groaned. "I swear, if you suddenly become some monster-level hunter, I'm gonna be pissed."
Joshua just smirked.
If only he knew.
As they approached the dorms, Joshua's mind was already working.
He needed to complete the system quest as quickly as possible.
That meant he had to find more fights.
And fortunately… the Hunter Academy had no shortage of combat opportunities.
Nightfall – The Plan in Motion
After dinner, Joshua left the dorms under the cover of darkness.
His destination?
The underground combat arena.
While the academy had strict rules regarding fights outside of official training sessions, there was an unspoken rule among students—if you wanted to test yourself outside of class, you went to the underground arena.
No teachers. No restrictions. Only raw combat.
Joshua smirked.
Perfect.
He entered the underground arena, where a group of students was already gathered. The air was thick with anticipation and battle spirit.
Fights were already happening in the center of the stone pit, where two students clashed with wooden weapons, their Aura flaring with every strike.
Joshua scanned the crowd.
Nine more fights.
That's all he needed.
His eyes landed on a familiar face—a cocky, arrogant student with slicked-back hair and a smirk that radiated overconfidence.
Lin Hao. A 3-star hunter.
Joshua's lips curled into a slow smile.
He stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.
"Lin Hao," he called out.
The student turned, raising an eyebrow. "Joshua? What do you want?"
Joshua tilted his head. "A match."
Lin Hao blinked. Then, he laughed. "You're joking, right?"
Joshua simply unsheathed his training sword.
The laughter died down.
The surrounding students perked up, sensing something different.
Lin Hao studied him for a moment, then grinned. "Alright, then. Don't cry when I beat you down."
Joshua took his stance.
He had nine more fights to win.
And he had no intention of stopping now.
End of Chapter 3