SK 3

(3: Change of Heart)

Sage, an elderly man who looked kind and fatherly but had a terrifying nature to him. He walked ahead of the silent Dai Jin showing him the place.

"This is the Temple's Yard where sparring happens…"

"That is the Temple's Dojo where training happens…"

"This is the workplace where you can get to trade…"

"This here is Ash, he is an appearance and a good training partner…"

"The girl over there is Scarlet, she knows a lot about weapons…"

"Now, you will take your enrollment exam. Are you ready?" The old man asked.

Before even a message appears, Dai Jin responded instantly.

"Yes… Absolutely, sir."

"That's the spirit. Stand over there and get ready. Ash will evaluate your worth."

The old man called Sage (will be referred to as Master Sage from now on) pointed for the middle of the yard and Dai Jin followed accordingly. He stood there and looked around waiting for whatever comes next.

Just on this day, Dai Jin was humbled beyond anything and learned valuable life and death lessons. He learned to never turn his back in a fight, to hide if he is in danger, to crawl before he walks and he took a glimpse on what true strength looked like. Some people can be motivated by dreams and hopes but the truest of all motivations is fear.

Fear drives people beyond every known limit and one must know fear to conquer it.

Dai Jin finally stopped shivering as the cold breeze passed by him. He made up his mind to fight his way through and play by the rules as long as he is bound to it… for now.

He looked down his feet and felt the smooth stone floor. Now that he notices it, the middle of the yard is a circular ring with a strange pattern to it. He could feel like the floor decoration is a large image of a black fox curling its body in a slumber. The garden beside the ring and the workplace on the other side also has two Fox Statues each side and the Temple's Dojo seemed to have some drawings of many animals on its walls.

A strange place indeed but the time for looking around was over since Dai Jin was facing his opponent.

< Lv.??? Ash >

"Tsk… how am I supposed to…"

He saw the level of the Disciple called Ash and wanted to blurt out but he kept it in but in the next second, his fears were answered.

< Lv.1 Ash >

It was as if Ash's level was adjusted to fit him. Dai Jin looked above his head and…

< Lv.1 Dai Jin >

… he felt a little bit confident. He noticed that he leveled up but he has no idea what any of this means. He only assumed he became more powerful or something, not that it made it any better with offending Master Sage though.

This confidence was all good and fine until he faced this Ash fellow eye to eye and his stomach started to act up all of a sudden. He never looked at the guy's face directly before but now that he looks at him, his eye color was cyan just as Master Sage, just as those monsters…

And he turned around.

… yes, and even that girl standing in the workplace behind him, her eyes were cyan as well.

"Holy shit! This is creeping me out!"

He didn't really hate the color but seeing that cold feeling coming from those eyes, he really wanted to find his way out of this situation and meet someone who can explain things to him as soon as possible.

< Dai Jin vs. Ash >

< Ready! >

< Fight! >

"Seriously?"

Of all the game sittings he could go through, a fighting game was just unlikely… also, he was distracted just now and Ash closed in on him delivering a kick right to his head.

< Critical! >

Not only the kick made him feel like his head was breaking but the angle he took on his way down guaranteed that his head receives the ground first causing even more damage.

< Defeat! >

And it all blacked out.

Next he saw was the scene from a while ago as he was standing back in his place facing as if nothing happened…

< Round 2 >

"Are you…"

< Ready! >

"… kidding me?"

< Fight! >

Dai Jin never realized how easily he can be driven to madness especially when he is wrong. He knows that he is impatient and short tempered but seeing how a so-called "Lv.1" put him down in one kick was already very life threatening.

He charged with the fight signal and leapt on Ash bringing him down before the other could react. It seemed that Ash is blessed with an incredible skill at fighting so he had to neutralise that first. Once the two of them were down on the ground, Dai Jin locked his arm around Ash's neck and started strangling him. On the other hand, Ash tried to break free by overpowering Dai Jin through shifting his position but the latter locked his legs around Ash's waist and squeezed even more.

"Die! DIE! DIEEEE!"

It goes without saying that in terms of physical strength, both Dai Jin and Ash stand on an equal level now that the actual level of Ash has been downgraded to 1. In terms of skill, Dai Jin could only win by using such underdog methods.

Ash struggled and almost managed to beat Dai Jin and break free but willpower played its role well with Dai Jin. During the first time, he was not sure if he died or passed out but he doesn't want to know and doesn't want to be put down like that ever again. He used all he could in order to put down Ash for good in this round and finally managed to do it.

< You Won! >

Just like that, a round went to Dai Jin.

*Blink* *Flash*

And everything was reset once again. He was standing, no fatigue or no pain from the last round while his opponent was looking the same.

"Fucking hell… this is creepy."

< Round 3 >

He raised his hand up taking a boxing stance and waited for the fight to begin.

< Ready! >

< Fight! >

As any beginner would do, Dai Jin wanted to go for the winning strategy which he used before but Ash retreated right away. Dai Jin knew it may not work yet he didn't shy out from using it even if it led him to a bad position. Just like that, Ash started his attack with a flying kick which forced Dai Jin to retreat. What was more surprising was how Ash twisted his body and delivered another kick mid-air but Dai Jin managed to see it and changed positions.

Another valuable lesson he learned was to keep dodging, you don't want to come into any contact with your opponent unless it is on your terms and it was almost time to fully apply this rule. Being mid-air during a fight puts whoever in that position in a lot of disadvantage when not being in control. All Dai Jin needed to do was to use the simplest of methods and ram Ash with his body.

Ash received the hit and fell on his back but didn't stay still and stood up once again. Midway, Dai Jin caught up to him and kicked Ash forward causing him to lose footing once again. Ash was clearly in disadvantage and Dai Jin wouldn't let him go without another hit at least.

The two exchanged kicks and Ash managed to break free from Dai Jin taking away some distance.

It seemed that Ash was indeed adaptive but not too careful. The moment he cleared some space, he returned to attacking once again. This time, however, things didn't go according to plan. Dai Jin seemed to have given up on defense as well and exchanged a punch for a punch and a kick for a kick. His plan was to wear Ash down somehow but he soon realized that his punches and kicks are not on bar with that of Ash. He had no style, no flow, no footwork. He was just punching and kicking like a street thug but that was all he could do. On the other hand, Ash was adapting fast to Dai Jin's fighting ability and countered him a couple of times in a row just now.

If things were to go this way, he would most definitely lose… or worse, die again.

As per mentioned, fear is a strong motivator and the moment Dai Jin remembered this cold feeling known as death, his body shivered uncontrollably for a second while he was almost about to get punched in the face. Not sure how put his whole body felt lighter as he just dodged the punch and rammed against Ash forcing him to lose balance. With no more hesitation, he kicked Ash causing him to fall down then ran towards him before he got up and kicked his head like a soccer ball.

< You Won! >

It felt like a big accomplishment even though he didn't really understand the reward of such a dangerous fight but he was just glad that he won even if it was by luck.

With the edge of his sight, he noticed the lying Ash disappear from his place and appear outside the ring as if he was not fighting this whole time. Dai Jin as well felt the same about himself losing the sense of fatigue rapidly and all the pain went away. From that point, the quest seemed to be advancing further.

< Tutorial Object 2: Complete! >

Master Sage, who was watching from the side all that time, walked to Dai Jin with a discerning look.

"Acceptable. I wouldn't call those moves of yours as skills but there is a good amount of willpower. Perhaps we can make a warrior out of you after all."

"Yes… thank you… I guess." Dai Jin scratched his head not sure what to answer with other than that.

"Follow me."

Dai Jin felt that most of the conversations he is having here are one dimensional meaning that he can't really do much about those objectives. He felt a bit forced but he followed Master Sage anyway. The two arrived at the workplace at the side of the temple's courtyard and there they met the female disciple. She was a redhead beauty with a bright smile and an attractive atmosphere.

"Hello, my name is Scarlet. I run this small workshop here. Congratulations on passing the exam. There, that is for you."

On the workbench nearby, Scarlet pointed at a medium sized chest which looked very normal except for…

< Beginner Pack >

"Ah! The so-called reward."

Dai Jin recognized the title from the quest reward about passing the exam. He walked to the chest and opened it only to find some items lying around.

An outer garment, a headband and a large blade.

———————————
[Dagger] <Lv.1 Spirit Weapon>
[Martial Robe] <Lv.1 Spirit Armor>
[Martial Band] <Lv.1 Spirit Armor>
———————————

A message appeared showing him what he got in the pack. He simply picked everything up ignoring the message in the way and lined them beside the chest. The combat robe looked way better than whatever rags he was wearing and the headband would actually put together that long hair that bothered him. More to that, he finally got something as useful as this dagger.

"So, you want me to be some sort of a fighter or a survivor? I don’t get it but… whatever gets me out, I am thankful."

Dai Jin didn't really know the end game of this situation he is stuck in but he had to play along and see where it takes him. He looked around at the NPCs who were naturally staring at him and didn't know what to do at this point.

"Should I… like put those on or something? Is there a fitting room? No? Fine."

Whatever it is, he didn't really matter at this point. He took off the rags he was wearing which vanished the moment he took them off (he didn't question why they vanished) and then wore the Martial Robe, the Martial Band and and fitted the dagger's scabbard in the robe's belt.

"Looks good on you. He's all yours now, Master." From the side, Scarlet spoke with a wide smile then turned back to him again, "Right, before I forget, if you need any new equipment, make sure to ask this senior sister… given that you have the price for them of course."

"Price?" Dai Jin had no money on him to begin with, a "price" for anything is the last thing that should be said to him in his current situation.

"If you are done now, follow me inside." Master Sage stepped forward and walked past Dai Jin and Scarlet.

< Objective 3: Take Instructions >

Dai Jin felt dispirited about how the world around him was acting on its own pace and he can't keep up or understand what's going on anymore. He can't treat anything like a game unlike how it all looked like and he can't take it naturally either because of how systematic everything went. Either way, he followed Master Sage towards the Temple's building which was three steps above the ground decorated with minimal traditional features such as lanterns and drawings. Past the door, however, was a different interior.

He could see a large wooden hall fitted with various training tools such as wooden dummy, a punching bag and a few weapon racks with some seating areas and writing scrolls. It didn't look like a place where those characters would live but it felt more like a gymnesium.

"This is the Dojo, you will train and cultivate your skills here." Master Sage said, "You may have been accepted as a disciple but your journey is just beginning so make sure to train well."

The old man walked to the side of the dojo and stood beside the wooden dummy.

"Now, would you like to take your first lesson?"

< Yes / No >

Seeing the choice message all over again, Dai Jin felt dispirited as he knows pretty well what are the consequences of saying "No" with this monster of an old man. He accepted the first lesson without much resistance.

"Good. Take a Fighting Stance… a proper Fighting Stance." Master Sage said.

Dai Jin didn't really know any "proper" fighting stances so he just went with what he knows. A boxing stance it is.

"Hm!" The old man actually showed reaction to Dai Jin and eyed him up and down carefully. With a wave of his hand, a mysterious stick appeared out of nowhere and was pointed towards Dai Jin's shoulder.

"Relax here."

Then to his left leg.

"Fix this."

Then lightly hit his back.

"Relax."

Then his arms.

"Move it like this."

And it kept going.

Dai Jin knew his fighting stance was crap from the beginning but seeing how Master Sage fixed his mistakes this fast, even a person who knows nothing about martial arts like Dai Jin would realize what kind of an opportunity he is having.

A genuine Master of Martial Arts is instructing him on the basics of Martial Arts, he wouldn't miss this chance unless he was some fool who got kicked on the head by a donkey… that if he had a say in the matter, of course.

In a few minutes, Dai Jin lost all the awkwardness in his Fighting Stance and felt really natural moving around this way. He didn't move to punching or kicking just yet but it was all about how to move around. Master Sage only said the minimal things like "Fix this", "Relax here" and "Move here."

Once the instructions were over, Master Sage damned a demonstration for Dai Jin's ability to take a stance and move around before giving one last insight about the lesson.

"Stance means everything to the warrior. Just like how you can't build on air, you need firm foundations. Everything else is an extension from that. You will learn more about this in the Footwork lessons. That's all for now. Do you want to move to another lesson?"

< Lesson Accomplished (1 / 30) >

< Would you like to move on to the next lesson? >

"Wait, wait, hold on…" Dai Jin read the messages twice before making an annoyed face, "The first lesson of thirty? This is too much. I don't care about the consequences. Hell no."

He chose no right away. No matter how the system tried to punish him afterwards, he didn't really care.

"Alright, take what you learned today to the heart." Master Sage seemed rather chill about it different from the previous time.

He walked past Dai Jin who was shrinking away for some reason until the old man exited the entire Dojo.

< Objective 3: Complete! >

< Tutorial Complete! >

"Just like that?"

Dai Jin stood lost in front of the two messages. He looked around but found no interesting detail about anything so he decided to shoo away the messages. Once he did that, a new barrage of messages blocked his view.

< With the Tutorial over, you can now initiate the First Scenario by exiting the Dojo. It is recommended that you take all the available lessons and practice to solidify your basics. >

< Campaign Fights, Survival Fights are now available. Speak to your mentor, Sage, when you are ready. >

< Training Fights are now available. Speak to Ash when you are ready. >

< Weapons, Armors, Medicine and other services are now available in the Store . Speak to Scarlet when you have enough Spirit Stones >

< You can use the Dojo's storeroom as a storage space by importing items from the Real World. >

< You can now "Log Out" of the Game World. To do so, use the command "Log Out", you can return back again by using the command "Log In". >

"Wait wait wait wait… Real World? Log Out?"

And here it is, the thing he wanted the most. Escaping this unfamiliar territory. All he needs to do… all he must do is to Log the fuck Out.

< Previewing Your Profile! >

———————————
« Profile »
Name: Dai Jin
Le…
…
..
.

"No time for that! Get me the fuck out of this. LOG OUT!"

As if the world pulled itself backwards in his vision, everything seemed like a blur all of a sudden and he felt as if his very heart was being grabbed.

One moment like that and the next… he was springing out of bed like a mummy coming to life wrapped in bandages and groaning from pain.

Blinding light assaulted his eyes, he moved his tired and aching arms up to cover his face and shortly his eyes recovered. What he saw around him wasn't any less confusing than what he just witnessed in the Game World.

He looked closely confirming that he is not still hallucinating or by any means dreaming. He was on a bed with a canopy in a room filled with strange traditional furniture and weird aroma flowing in the air coming from some incense sticks on a nearby pot. The room was empty save for him.

It was then when the memories kicked back. He remembered this "other him", the young Dai Jin with a mental disability from the Dai Clan of Tianlong Town. He was him all this time but to think that instead of logging out back on Earth, he would log out instead of this guy.

It didn't make any sense to him. Why would he, the 21 years old Dai Jin, not only get trapped in some scary ass game world that wants to kill him around every corner but also would switch bodies with a version of him from a Martial World of whatever this is.

"Goddamn! This better be a fucking dream…" He said trying to get out of bed but at this damn moment, he saw something, or someone.

All of his hopes of this being a weird dream dissipated to nothing. He saw a person in front of him that made his eyes turn red with anger.

"Dai… Dai Feng…"

It was there, his bitter adversary and the one whom he hated more than anyone, his cousin Dai Feng… much younger than before but definitely that motherfucker himself.

"Dai Jin… you're… awake?"

The other party was as shocked as him. Dai Feng's face turned yellow from shock almost at an instant as he was tiptoeing inside Dai Jin's quarters.

There was no time for reasoning, there was no time for peace talk. Dai Jin moved against his broken body raising an angry fist.

"Die you fucker!"

Dai Feng panicked for a second but he no longer felt threatened with the shape of Dai Jin being all patched up.

"Hmph! Looking for death, trash? I'll make sure you die properly this time."

Dai Feng had a nasty grin on his face as he charged at Dai Jin with obvious killing intent. With his left, he effortlessly pushed away Dai Jin's arm and with the index and middle fingers of his right, he violently stabbed with his Fire Qi towards the center of Dai Jin's chest, right to his middle Dantian.

In a second there, both Dai Jin and Dai Feng didn't know what really happened. Just as Dai Feng's Qi came into contact with Dai Jin's Dantian, something exploded between the two of them. Dai Jin flew back across the room smashing into the wall and Dai Feng was sent to the other side.

This was extremely bizarre, Dai Feng felt like that black energy was overpowering his Fire Qi in all aspects. He was no match for it.

A Master! A Master is nearby!

It must be that doctor who came with the Xiao family girl.

"Tch!"

Dai Feng clicked his tongue and rapidly ran away from Dai Jin's quarters before he gets discovered. On the other hand, Dai Jin lost his consciousness again.

< You have Fainted! >

< As safety persecution, you consciousness will be pulled back into the Game World. >

He opened his eyes back in that Dojo once again. He kept dazed and silent for a second completely speechless about what just happened.

He looked ahead of himself and saw the message from a while ago which he completely ignored.

———————————
« Profile »
Name: Dai Jin
Level: 1
Rank: Early Spirit Novice
Spirit Qi: 1 Years
Mind: 9.1
Energy: 5/5
———————————

"Dai Feng has a fucking flame fist… You know what… this whole martial arts Game System may be useful after all."