--
Phew!
In the backyard of TJ's humble house, the teenager could be seen practicing his techniques.
With his core lowered and his arms braced, TJ threw a series of quick jabs and kicks. Each move was deliberate and had purpose, still a little clumsy, but definitely better compared to his first try.
Sweat poured down his face and back, drenching his clothes. The sun wasn't even up yet, and it's still relatively cold, but that didn't seem to matter to him. TJ looked focused and sharp, as if nothing could distract him from his training.
In the corner of his eyes, a small system window was open. It displayed the words:
• Basic Fighting Technique (Entry 99/100)
Just one more point for this technique to break through and reach the Minor Mastery stage. TJ wasn't tired yet, so he continued to punch and kick, making sure to pay close attention to how he performed each move.
His innate boon, [Limit Breaking Hard Work], doesn't work with blind and/or mindless repetition. Each repetition must count; otherwise, he's just wasting time.
Because of this, TJ had to focus real hard, which was definitely more challenging to him, especially now that the remedy of the Medical Saint for his perpetual psychosis was starting to fade.
He was starting to hear those voices again. Voices that tell him lies very loudly just to make him suffer. It's part of the curse that he never wished for...
Phew!
As he finished another cycle of punches and kicks, he saw the information on the system changing.
From 99/100 to 100/100, the Basic Fighting Technique's mastery pool was filled. And in that instant, TJ suddenly felt light-headed.
Then, a warm current flooded his entire body. His muscles spasmed in a comfortable way. At the same time, a fresh set of information poured into his memories.
There, he saw himself practicing the basic fighting technique rain or shine. That version of him didn't seem to have any concept of time because it seemed that it had taken him days if not weeks before he finally understood the basic fighting technique a little better.
When TJ's consciousness returned to reality, a wave of excitement blossomed within him; unfortunately, he didn't know how to express it.
He looked at the system window, and it now displayed:
• Basic Fighting Technique (Minor 0/250)
Minor mastery of the basic fighting technique within three days of practice.
While not the fastest, it's still decently fast, especially considering that TJ went from complete ignorance to this. His progress was even faster compared to most prodigies in his batch, actually.
Nothing changed too much. The Basic Fighting Technique still only has one perk, and that's [Healthy]; there's nothing else.
However, it did make TJ stronger. Upon reaching this stage, his combat capabilities already surpassed most of the people in his batch. If he were to spar with them, he could easily deal with them using what he learned.
Eager to test it out, TJ threw another cycle of punches and kicks. And as soon as he did so, he immediately felt the difference. The awkwardness and kinks of his earlier technique were corrected or smoothed out.
His punch packed more oomph into them, as did his kicks. If he were to spar with Sieg again, the big lug would surely complain about it because TJ's hit would be a lot more painful now.
• Basic Fighting Technique (Minor 1/250)
Just like before, a serious effort yielded results. After another cycle, TJ gained another point, and once again, he felt a gentle current flowing through his body, and then a few more ideas about how to use the technique better also surfaced in his mind.
TJ didn't continue training this, though.
Instead, he sat down under the shade. His neighbor had a really big tree, and it just so happened it was huge enough to provide a small shade in TJ's backyard.
Well, the sun wasn't really up yet, so there's no real need for him to find shade. However, he did it anyway since he'd grown used to it.
TJ didn't need to rest, per se. But he did want to cool down by practicing his breathing technique.
• Basic Breathing Technique (Entry 99/100)
Because just like the fighting technique earlier, the breathing technique was also very close to a breakthrough. And since he's already at it, he might as well complete this now.
So, TJ took a deep breath evenly. He filled his lungs completely before holding it in for a few seconds, then breathing it all out evenly as well.
He could feel the warm pressure building up in his diaphragm as he breathed. This sensation only became noticeable to him once he accumulated 50% points in the current mastery stage of this technique.
Typically, it would've ended there, but once the counter was filled to the brim, the upgrade of the skill pushed through.
After the Basic Breathing Technique had been upgraded to the Minor Mastery, TJ felt the air flow suddenly turning colder and warmer at the same time.
He also felt as if his blood was spiking in activity, which didn't worry him too much since it'd only make sense for this to happen, but it's still a surprising development, nonetheless.
The breath flowed on its own, but TJ was paying attention. At the same time, he also felt the hot and cold sensation becoming stronger as this breath continued to circulate.
The sensation faded after he exhaled, but it certainly left a lasting impression on him.
• Basic Breathing Technique (Minor 0/250)
Just like that, the Basic Breathing Technique has also reached the Minor Mastery stage.
TJ tried it himself and discovered that it's much easier for him to do it. He felt so familiar with it that he was confident that he could do it while standing up. He doesn't need to concentrate too much whenever he uses it.
In fact, as his mastery increases, using the technique becomes more intuitive. At some point, this will become TJ's usual breathing method, meaning that he could be practicing it even during his sleep.
Just like the fighting technique, reaching the minor mastery over the breathing technique didn't give him much benefit. It did make him more energetic, but that's about it. No new perks, no surprises, nothing.
If he wanted to see some real change, then he'd have to upgrade it to Level 2, because that's when it will have a new perk, and this applies to all skills he learns in the future...for now, at least.
With both his fighting and breathing techniques having a breakthrough, TJ's strength just increased sharply. He couldn't say exactly just how much stronger he was compared to before, but it should be more than noticeable.
As for his footwork...
• Basic Footwork Technique (Entry 95/100)
"I can probably also increase its mastery stage today," TJ muttered to himself.
He's only five points away anyway, so it shouldn't take long.
He'd take care of that later; right now, though, he has to move. Today's class was only an hour and a half away, not enough time to squeeze in the breakthrough for the footwork.
**
'Well, what do we have here? '
Mr. Eden raised a brow slightly as he observed TJ and Sieg sparring with each other again.
These two left some impression on him yesterday since they're the only ones who took his orders seriously.
Nothing much changed for that big guy; his technique was still clumsy. His physique is what's carrying him so far. No surprises there.
But the smaller kid? It seems that he has made some progress...
'He's much better compared to yesterday. In both his fighting and footwork, too. It seems that he's much smarter compared to others.'
TJ was bullying Sieg with his improvements; that much was clear. The big guy couldn't even touch him. Of course, TJ wasn't taking it too far. Sometimes, he would pause and instruct Sieg in his moves, allowing him to catch up with his progress.
And even when Sieg could only scratch his head in confusion, TJ would patiently explain what to do. He didn't raise his voice nor patronize him. He just taught him until something finally clicked.
This way, Sieg was also improving visibly, and their spars were starting to become more intense.
Alas, TJ was just too far ahead. Even as he slowed down to teach his friend, he remained unstoppable and elusive. The only reason why Sieg could hit him was because TJ taught him how to.
'He's also getting better as he teaches; this is...' Mr. Eden was speechless.
He wondered, was it because of the child's boon? Does it have something to do with comprehension or something? Or was he really just that good?
Either way, this was nice. At least somebody was treating their future seriously, unlike some who preferred to wallow in despair or were more concerned with showing off rather than actual improvement.
Mr. Eden watched as the two called off the spar for now. The big guy rested while the smaller one began practicing his footwork, and judging from what he saw, the kid was also close to improving his footwork.