Location: Hyodo House
Time: 8:00 AM
Issei's POV
After being beaten by his mother for the last 15 minutes, he was now lying on his bed, sore and noticing that his HP had only 100 points left.
'Damn, this hurts so much…' An anime-style tear rolled down his cheek as he slowly got up from his bed.
"I need to finish checking out the rest of the system functions… and maybe look for a dojo to train?"
Even though his system was incredibly powerful, he still needed basic training. Right now, he is just an average human in terms of stats, and learning a fighting style would help him a lot.
Sigh He looked at the system's pop-up screen and checked the next function.
[Inventory: Its function is simple—store any items you want, including food, weapons, armor, and any kind of object. The only exceptions are animals and living beings. The inventory space is infinite, but its organization depends entirely on the host.]
[Shop (Locked): This function allows you to purchase items, weapons, artifacts, or skill books. As long as you have the money, you can buy anything… except her love. This function is currently locked until Level 10.]
When he read the shop's description, he wanted to scream in frustration.
'Is this damn system making fun of me?!'
It took him several seconds to calm his anger before moving on to what caught his attention.
[Skill Tree: This function allows the user to gain benefits from different schools of magic, as well as weapon styles, martial arts, and more. Some skill trees are locked until the user acquires a skill that represents that specific tree.]
[The skill trees currently available for improvement are as follows:]
Warrior:
Archery - Blocking - Heavy Armor - One-Handed Sword Mastery - One-Handed Mace Mastery - Dagger Mastery - Bastard Sword Mastery - Spear Mastery - Two-Handed Sword Mastery - Martial Artist - Blacksmithing
Mage:
Alteration - Conjuration - Destruction - Protection - Fire Magic - Earth Magic - Ice Magic - Lightning Magic - Illusion - Restoration - Enchantment - Alchemy
Thief:
Poisons - Light Armor - Lockpicking - Stealing - Stealth - Eloquence
Dragon:
Breath - ??? - ??? - ???....
His jaw dropped when he saw his enormous skill tree. Some skills were locked, and many others just showed question marks. He wasn't sure why, but remembering his two unused skill points, he decided to select one of the options.
[Earth Magic Level 30/100]
Perks:
Beginner Earth Magic
Required Level: None.
Requirements: None.
Earth spells cost 5% less mana.
Apprentice Earth Magic
Required Level: 10.
Requirements: Beginner Earth Magic.
Earth spells cost 10% less mana.
Skilled Earth Magic
Required Level: 30.
Requirements: Apprentice Earth Magic.
Earth spells cost 15% less mana.
Expert Earth Magic
Required Level: 70.
Requirements: Skilled Earth Magic.
Earth spells cost 20% less mana.
Master Earth Magic
Required Level: 100.
Requirements: Expert Earth Magic.
Earth spells cost 25% less mana.
Double Earth Critical Cast
Required Level: 40.
Requirements: Skilled Earth Magic.
Double-casting spells allow for a critical overload, boosting the Earth spell by 50%.
Silent Earth Casting
Required Level: 50.
Requirements: Skilled Earth Magic.
Earth spells can be cast silently and cost 50% less mana.
Earth Casting in Motion
Required Level: 50.
Requirements: Expert Earth Magic.
Earth spells cost 25% less mana.
Augmented Earth (0/10)
Required Levels: 10-20-30-40-50-60-70-80-90-100.
Requirements: Beginner (10), Apprentice (20), Skilled (30-40), Expert (50-60-70), Master (80-90-100) Earth Magic.
Earth spells deal 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% more damage.
Earth Runes
Required Level: 50.
Requirements: Skilled Earth Magic.
Allows the user to cast Earth runes from any Earth spell.
Petrification (0/2)
Required Levels: 70-100.
Requirements: Expert-Master Earth Magic.
Earth spells can inflict weak or medium petrification.
Earth Golems
Required Level: 30.
Requirements: Skilled Earth Magic.
Allows the user to create Earth golems and combine them with other elements.
When he saw all the benefits he could acquire from just one magic school, he was both amazed and horrified. If just one magic school required so many points to max out, how many points would it take to master everything else, like Blacksmithing and Enchantment?
Glancing over the other skills he could upgrade, he noticed that all of them required a similar amount of points to max out.
It took him a few minutes to compose himself before deciding to check the ones that interested him the most—Fire Magic, Martial Artist, and Bastard Sword Mastery.
He wouldn't deny that the last one caught his attention just because of the name. However, from what he saw, these skills either increased his attack power, reduced the energy cost of related abilities, or granted special effects like petrification.
Without realizing it, hours had flown by as he decided on his next course of action.
"Even though I don't have any spells for my affinities yet, I could try to create some simple ones. But right now, the benefits of these skills won't be much help. The best thing to focus on now is Martial Arts or Swordsmanship."
Thinking about the dojos near his house, he could only recall one—something called Ryosampeka. He couldn't remember the exact name, but from what he had seen several times when coming back from school, various dojos seemed to challenge the masters of that dojo.
He didn't know why, but if he hadn't counted wrong, at least one or two different dojos challenged them every week. That had to mean they were really good if so many people wanted to compete against them.
His best option was to become a Martial Artist by learning techniques from that dojo. That way, he could learn hand-to-hand combat while experimenting with his magic on his own until he got a grimoire or bought one from the system.
Determined, he looked at the perks he could acquire from the Martial Artist skill tree.
[Martial Artist Level 1/100]
Perks:
Man of Fists (0/10)
Required Levels: 10-20-30-40-50-60-70-80-90-100,
Requirements: Beginner (10), Apprentice (20), Skilled (30-40), Expert (50-60-70), Master (80-90-100) Combat Stance.
Unarmed attacks deal 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% more damage.
Beginner Combat Stance
Required Level: None.
Requirements: Man of Fists 1.
Ki-based attacks cost 5% less.
Apprentice Combat Stance
Required Level: 10.
Requirements: Beginner Combat Stance.
Ki-based attacks cost 10% less.
Skilled Combat Stance
Required Level: 30.
Requirements: Apprentice Combat Stance.
Ki-based attacks cost 15% less.
Combat Stance Expert
Required Level: 70.
Requirements: Combat Stance Skilled.
Ki-based attacks cost 20% less.
Combat Stance Master
Required Level: 100.
Requirements: Combat Stance Expert.
Ki-based attacks cost 25% less.
Bone Breaker (0/2)
Required Level: 30-60.
Requirements: Combat Stance Skilled.
Melee attacks ignore 25% and 50% of armor.
Internal Bleeding (0/2)
Required Level: 30-60.
Requirements: Combat Stance Skilled.
Melee attacks have a 25% and 50% chance of causing internal bleeding.
Flurry of Blows (0/2)
Required Level: 30-50.
Requirements: Combat Stance Skilled.
Melee attacks are 25% and 50% faster.
Steel Muscles (0/2)
Required Level: 30-50.
Requirements: Combat Stance Skilled.
The user's muscles become as strong as steel, reducing received damage by 25% and 50%.
Superhuman Vitality (0/2)
Required Level: 40-70.
Requirements: Combat Stance Skilled.
Vitality reaches superhuman levels, granting enhanced regeneration and a higher chance of surviving fatal attacks. Gains medium regeneration and high regeneration.
Paralyzing Strike
Required Level: 100.
Requirements: Combat Stance Master.
Melee attacks have a 10% chance of causing paralysis.
'Wow, these are great advantages for a martial artist, but… what is ki?' Something he didn't know about and didn't have was mentioned multiple times by the system.
'Maybe I need to practice martial arts to unlock it?' Unsure, he looked out the window and saw that the sun was already setting.
At this hour, he would usually leave school and see people challenging that dojo. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could observe the dojo master's skills, and if the style seemed good, he could try to join the dojo.
Looking around his room, he grabbed about 10,000 yen, which he had saved from his allowance. That should be enough to join any dojo.
But before leaving, he realized he was still in his pajamas and quickly changed into something more suitable for training before heading out, shouting that he was going for a walk.
The moment he stepped outside, he started running toward the dojo he always saw on his way home from school.
However, after less than five minutes of running, he began to feel out of breath and had to stop to catch it.
'Ugh, I can barely run for a few minutes, and I'm supposed to save the world like this?' He knew he was out of shape, but he never imagined it was this bad.
He could only hope that his system would allow him to improve his stats through training. So, he continued his journey, running for a few minutes at a time and constantly stopping to recover.
By the time he realized it, it was already nighttime, and the streets were eerily quiet—or so he thought until he heard a group of men talking loudly not too far away.
Looking in their direction, he saw three men cornering a woman. Though he was a bit far away and couldn't see her face clearly, he knew exactly what they were trying to do to the girl, who seemed to be a student from his school.
He wasn't sure if he had seen her before, but since he couldn't get a closer look, he couldn't be certain.
"Alright, girl, don't worry. Just come with us, and you'll be fine. We promise you'll feel really good when we're done" one of the bastards said. Just hearing him talk like that to a girl their age filled Issei with rage.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have time. I need to get home and prepare dinner" the young girl's sweet and innocent voice responded, seemingly unaware of what those guys wanted from her. She tried to walk past them, but they wouldn't let her go.
"I don't think you understand, girl. You're coming with us" one of the men said as he grabbed her arm, preventing her from escaping.
At that moment, the guy holding the girl's arm had no idea what was coming. Suddenly, he received a powerful kick to the groin, making him not only release the girl but also collapse to the ground, clutching his crotch in agony, screaming and crying from the pain.
"Run away!!"
The one who delivered the kick, of course, was Issei Hyoudou.
Even though he was a pervert who peeked at women, he would never force one to do something against her will. He might be a pig, but at least he had limits he would never cross.
As soon as he shouted at the girl, he grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him, staying behind to buy her some time to escape.
Maybe he'd get beaten up, but that didn't scare him. If he had to take a beating to protect an innocent girl from being assaulted, then he'd do it over and over again without hesitation.
Without paying attention to the girl and knowing he was at a disadvantage, he grabbed the lid of a nearby trash can and threw it at the guy in the middle, catching him off guard.
"The hell do you think you're doing, kid? Do you even know who you're messing with?" The last man still standing rushed at him, and all Issei could do was raise his arms to block the punch.
'Ugh, what the hell does this guy have in his fists?!'
When the punch landed on his forearms, it felt like getting hit with a metal pipe.
'Shit…'
As he pulled back, he noticed the guy was wearing brass knuckles.
'I'm screwed.'
Without knowing what else to do, he just kept backing away, dodging punches as best as he could. But the pain in his arms was starting to take its toll.
Even though, by some miracle, he managed to block the guy's punches, his arms felt like something had broken inside them.
At one point, he glanced over at the other two guys, who were now approaching the girl, who still hadn't moved from the spot.
'Shit, why is she still here?!'
His moment of distraction cost him dearly. A powerful punch landed on his cheek, sending him crashing against the wall behind him.
The pain was becoming unbearable, and his vision was blurry. But even then, he remained calm, feeling a cold rage build up inside him as he imagined what these guys might do to the girl.
'Move your head...'
At that moment, he heard a strange voice, but without thinking too much, he did as it said. Suddenly, he felt something graze the side of his head.
'Strike...'
Once again, he followed the voice's command and threw a punch forward. He could feel something guiding him toward his target as a new strength surged through his arm. In a quick and powerful motion, he struck the face of the man in front of him, sending him flying several meters before crashing to the ground unconscious, his nose broken.
'What was that?'
He didn't know what had just happened, but he ignored it for now. When his vision returned to normal, he looked toward where the girl should be and found her still standing there, completely unharmed, while the other two men lay at her feet, groaning and crying in pain.
'What happened here?'
Looking in shock at the scene before him, he started to realize that this girl didn't need any help. Now that the situation was under control, he collapsed onto the ground, exhausted and in pain, but he didn't regret anything. Even knowing she hadn't been in danger, he would have jumped in to help anyway.
He didn't see himself as a hero or anything like that, nor did he want to be one. But that didn't mean he would turn a blind eye when a woman was in trouble. That was how his parents had raised him, and it was one of the few things they were truly proud of him for.
"Are you okay!?"
Hearing the girl's concern for him made him smile, making him feel a little better.
"Yeah... I'm just a bit dazed. That hit was stronger than I expected."
"This is bad! Look at your face! Come to my house—it's not far. Some of my family members are doctors. They can help you."
With the girl's help, he slowly started walking toward her house.
It took him some time to recover from his blurry vision. At that moment, he looked at the girl supporting him.
"So beautiful..."
Without realizing it, he had spoken his thoughts out loud while gazing at her.
A beautiful face, eyes of a mesmerizing blue that reminded him of the sea, and dark blonde hair that shone under the moonlight, making it look like gold. All of this, paired with violet glasses that added a cute touch to her already stunning face, made her appearance truly breathtaking.
[Image]
At that moment, their eyes met, and a blush spread across both their cheeks. Quickly, they turned away in embarrassment.
"Umm... thanks for helping me. My name is Miu Furinji."
Hearing the girl's shy voice pulled him slightly out of his embarrassment.
"Eh? Ah! My name is Issei Hyodo. Nice to meet you, Miu-chan."
"The pleasure is mine, Issei-kun."
And so, in an awkward but not entirely uncomfortable silence, they arrived at Miu's house—or rather, the dojo where she lived.
'Is this a coincidence?'
In front of him stood the enormous dojo he had wanted to visit and join 'Ryozanpaku.' Now that he saw it up close, it looked even larger and more imposing.
As he entered the dojo with Miu, he saw a house built in the style of traditional Japanese architecture.
"I'm back!!"
With a loud shout, they stepped inside through an open door.
"Akisame!! Kensei!! I need some help here!!"
With her loud call, Miu sat him down next to a small table. Everything around him looked quite old-fashioned and somewhat worn.
"Would you like a cup of tea, Issei-kun?"
Seeing Miu's beautiful smile, he could only nod, feeling his cheeks burn.
'Come on, Issei, calm down. You can't be embarrassed all the time just because of a cute girl.'
"Then wait here. Akisame and Kensei will be here soon. They'll help with your wounds."
As soon as she finished speaking, she left through one of the doors to prepare the tea.
Sigh
"I guess it makes sense that there are doctors here if this is a dojo."
Having doctors in a dojo only meant that it was a very good one—or at least, that's what he felt.
"Miu!! Why didn't you say we had a guest!?"
Suddenly, an irritated and deep voice shouted from the other side of the table, snapping him out of his thoughts. When he looked up, he saw an intimidating man.
A mountain of muscle, with a scar running across half his face, making him look like a Yakuza.
[Image]
"What are you looking at, brat?!"
Immediately, Issei turned his head away, frightened by the man. But at that moment, a pair of legs wrapped in violet stockings stepped into view. A pair of thick, toned thighs followed by a round, curvy rear.
"Ahh!"
Startled and scared by the killing intent he felt, he quickly stepped back. When he finally got a full view of the woman in front of him, he felt his cheeks burn as he took in her stunning and curvy figure.
She was only covered by a short yukata that barely concealed her rear, and her enormous chest looked like it was about to burst out of the tight fabric.
[Image]
A katana rested on her back, and a small mouse perched on her shoulder. She had a gorgeous face, her violet eyes shining like precious gems. Two sharp, lightning-like eyebrows adorned her forehead, and her long black hair was tied into a ponytail.
"You're the one who brought Miu..." she said coldly, her voice devoid of emotion.
"H-h-hello... I'm Issei Hy—"
Before he could finish, the woman suddenly drew her katana and stabbed it into the floor. Instantly, one of the wooden planks flipped up, revealing an older man with a large mustache, dressed in green Chinese robes. He looked somewhat short, but since he was sitting, Issei couldn't be sure.
[Image]
"Hey, hey, calm down, Shigure. I was just playing hide-and-seek with Apachai. I wasn't trying to peek at you."
The perverted grin on his face and the camera in his hands completely shattered his excuse before it even began.
"Shut up, pervert..."
At that moment, a fight broke out between the two—or rather, Shigure was trying to slice the Chinese man while he kept snapping pictures.
His camera flashed continuously, capturing shots of Shigure's chest, rear, and inner thighs depending on her movements. But then, suddenly, the Chinese man crashed into another mountain of muscle.
"Kensei!! I found you!! It's your turn to seek!!"
Like a child, the muscular giant spoke in an innocent voice. He had gray hair and dark skin.
[Image]
But suddenly, the giant began trying to hit Kensei as if he were trying to kill him. Because of this, Kensei could no longer dodge Shigure's slashes as easily, preventing him from continuing to take photos.
"Wait, Apachai, let me finish with Shi—" But before he could finish speaking, Shigure sliced the camera in half, causing Kensei to fall to the ground, crying over his destroyed camera.
This made both Apachai and Shigure stop—one confused, while Shigure sheathed her katana and slowly backed away from Kensei.
"What's wrong, Kensei? Why are you crying? Apachai doesn't understand" said the giant muscular man, now Apachai, as he hugged Kensei like a child, trying to comfort him while speaking in the third person.
'What the hell is going on here? Does Miu live with these lunatics?' Just when he thought the place was full of crazy or grumpy men, an older man wearing a black and white kimono arrived.
[Image]
"What happened here? Why are you fighting when we have a visitor?" As if he were the only sane person in the place, the man approached me.
"Hello, young man, I hope my companions haven't scared you. I'm Akisame Koetsuji. The grumpy alcoholic over there is Shio Sakaki, the young lady with the katana is Shigure Kosaka, the old man Ma is Kensei Ma, and the giant is Apachai Hopachai. He may seem intimidating, but he's very kind."
After he finished speaking, I heard complaints from Kensei and Shio and a cheerful "Hello" from Apachai.
"Umm, hello, I'm Issei Hyodo. It's a pleasure to meet you all." With a slight bow, I greeted them, and as I raised my head, I felt a finger poke my bruised cheek. "Ow!"
With everything that had happened, he had forgotten about his injuries, but now that he was reminded, the pain returned with full force. He could now feel his arms wet—he hoped it was just sweat and not what he was imagining.
Third-person perspective
Unfortunately for Issei, his thoughts were correct when Shigure suddenly spoke beside him, taking him by surprise. "Smells like blood..."
The moment everyone heard Shigure's words, they looked at Issei seriously.
At that moment, both Akisame and Kensei approached him while Shigure touched one of his forearms, causing Issei to let out a small cry of pain as his whole body trembled slightly.
"Shigure, take off his hoodie." As soon as Akisame finished speaking, Shigure removed Issei's hoodie in seconds, revealing a white shirt underneath while his forearms were covered in blood. It was clear to Issei that the blows he received in his previous fight were worse than he had imagined.
"I brought tea for everyone!!" At that moment, Miu entered the room, and upon seeing Issei's bloody arms, she let out a surprised scream and dropped the tray with the cups and teapot to rush to his side, looking very worried.
Just as the tray was about to hit the floor, Sakaki grabbed it and placed it on the table.
"Why didn't you tell me you were this hurt?" Miu's question snapped Issei out of his daze. He looked at her and smiled like an idiot. "Well, I didn't know I was this bad either... I thought it was just sweat from the fight we had."
"What fight?" While they were talking, Shigure started cleaning Issei's blood with a towel she pulled out from her cleavage.
When Miu heard Akisame's question, she laughed nervously and scratched her head. "Well, you see when I was coming back from my new school, I ran into a group of thugs who tried to harass me."
As soon as everyone heard Miu's words, a massive killing intent filled the room, making Issei tremble with fear.
"When I tried to walk away, one of them grabbed my arm. But at that moment, Issei-kun appeared and kicked the guy who grabbed me in the groin, then carried me on his back."
As she spoke, the murderous aura slowly began to fade, and everyone in the room seemed to have a new impression of Issei from the way they looked at him.
"Then Issei grabbed a trash can lid and threw it at another thug's face, knocking him to the ground with a broken nose. But the last one attacked him with brass knuckles. Issei blocked the guy's punches with his arms, but after taking several hits, the two guys he had knocked down got back up, so I finished them off and left them on the ground before turning to check on Issei again."
"When I saw him against a wall, about to get punched in the face, I was about to step in, but suddenly Issei dodged the punch and landed a powerful hit on the guy's face, sending him flying a few meters. After that, I brought him here so Akisame and Kensei could check his wounds."
As Miu recounted the fight she and Issei had with the group of thugs, everyone in the room seemed to look at Issei with curiosity and appreciation. Even though they knew Miu could defend herself, this boy didn't know that, and without thinking much about it, he put himself in danger to protect someone he didn't even know.
He might be weak, but that's precisely why they had a little respect for him. Despite being weak and not knowing how to fight, he still put himself in danger to protect someone—and that was something they could all respect.
"So, it looks like you found your hero, Miu."
A loud laugh came from the entrance as an older, even larger man appeared, his body more muscular than both of the other giants, with a long blonde beard and equally long golden hair.
"Grandpa, what are you saying?!" Miu could be seen grabbing her cheeks, blushing from her grandfather's words.
As Miu's grandfather continued teasing her, Akisame and Kensei were tending to Issei's wounds while Shigure kept cleaning the blood off his forearms.
"You're lucky. There's no serious damage. A small acupuncture session and some medicine will help you recover—it'll take a few days for you to heal completely." Akisame's words made Issei's face relax.
Kensei, with several needles already in his hands, began performing acupuncture right there to relax Issei's muscles and reduce the pain he was feeling.
Wasting no time, Akisame went to get the medicine, and within a few minutes, he returned to apply it along with some bandages on Issei's arms and a small gauze pad on his cheek.
After that, everyone sat at the table and started drinking the tea that Miu had prepared. However, since Issei couldn't move his arms, Shigure helped him, which made Miu pout slightly.
"Then, young Issei, I haven't introduced myself yet, so allow me to do so properly. My name is Hayato Furinji." Upon his introduction, everyone formally presented themselves, but at that moment, Issei remembered why he had come to this place in the first place.
Looking at Hayato seriously, he spoke, "Sir, this is a dojo, right?" Upon hearing his question, everyone looked at Issei with curiosity, while on the other hand, a small glint appeared in Hayato's eyes.
"That's right, young man, this is a dojo. Why do you ask?" As he finished speaking, Issei could be seen taking a deep breath before responding, looking directly into Hayato's eyes.
"Then, does this dojo accept disciples?" With Issei's words, the cheerful atmosphere from moments ago turned serious as everyone stared at him—except for Miu, who seemed confused by the sudden change.
"That's right, young man. This dojo accepts disciples." Upon hearing Hayato's response, Issei bowed deeply before him. "Then please allow me to become a disciple of this dojo!!" His loud declaration made Miu jump in surprise.
As for everyone else in the room, they began to grin menacingly, making Issei start to regret what he had just said. But before he could take it back, Hayato burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha!! Well done, kid! For the bravery you showed in fighting for a stranger and seeking to help despite the odds against you, I, Hayato Furinji, accept you as the first disciple of Ryozanpaku!!"
With his booming declaration, all the dojo masters cheered at the prospect of having their first disciple.
Unbeknownst to him, Issei was about to experience a month of hellish training.