Tbilisi winters are always the same — foggy, noisy, and seemingly perpetually tired. In the concrete yards of Digomi, children play football on cracked asphalt, where the ball stops more in the mud than in the net.
Saba Baramidze grew up on these very streets. He lived on the fifth floor of building number 38 with his family. One evening, when he was lying in bed and watching endless videos of TikTok on his phone, he came across a video that seemed to turn something inside him.
"Ilia Blenderadze — World Boxing Champion. Another title defense. 47 wins. 0 losses."
The footage shows a man in a black and red uniform, with a piercing gaze, whose every blow alters the balance of the law. The camera slows down, Ilya is standing in the final round, and his opponent is barely standing on his feet. One straight, one jab... and it's all over. The team raised Ilya's hands, and the commentator's voice exploded:
"This man seems to be on another level... as if he is not human"
Saba stared at the screen. And suddenly something strange happened. The screen flickered for a second, as if a noise had passed, and digital text appeared from the surface:
[System Activated]
User: Saba Baramidze
Level 1 — Unawakened Boxer
Saba instinctively dropped the phone. When he picked it up again, the text had disappeared.
"I'm tired, I should sleep..."
He spoke quietly and turned his head with a smile. But a feeling remained in his heart, the kind he felt when watching movies as a child, when you believed that anything was possible. The next morning, he turned on TikTok on his phone again. This time, he encountered another video:
"The best boxing gyms in Tbilisi. Where to start?"
Saba didn't hesitate to click. The video showed an old but well-maintained gym with large glass windows and a red tatami mat. At the end of the video, a voice said:
"If you really want it, your first step starts here."
Saba saved the address. Then he sighed. He looked in the mirror. His hair was messy, his eyes were droopy, but for the first time, he felt like doing something. That day, he couldn't rest for long. The text kept flashing in his sight:
[Level 1 — Unawakened Boxer]
The next day, He got up in the morning, spent money on cheap gloves, shoes, and a small sports bag. When he brought his bought things home, his mother asked:
- Where are you going so early this morning?
- To the gym, Mom. I want to try something… boxing.
His mother smiled with that smile that contained a little care and a little mistrust:
- Just don't get hurt.
The road from Digomi to the city center seemed to have never been so long. When he reached the gym, he slung his bag over his back and opened the door, his breath hitching. Inside, the sound of boxing gloves echoed in the noise of swings.
Shtack! Shtack! Shtack!
And the air was as if everyone here was telling their story with their fists. Saba stopped. And then for a moment, that digital inscription appeared before his eyes again:
[Welcome, Saba Baramidze]
Training Mode: Initiated.
Objective: First Hit.
A strange chill ran through his heart, but there was no longer any confusion. Saba stepped into the hall, put on his gloves for the first time, and thought:
"If this is a dream, I want to never wake up."