~ Third person Pov ~
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Ayano instantly felt it in his gut — if he held back now, he'd regret it.
"Alright... here I come." he said, steadying himself. Shifting into his Taekkyeon stance, he dashed forward without hesitation, aiming low with a sharp kick. He wasn't about to embarrass himself by underestimating the old man.
But just as Ayano's leg was about to make contact, Eli instantly moved with fluid precision. His own leg shifted into a guarded position, blocking the attack with a loud, jarring thud that echoed through the empty room...
Ayano grimaced, feeling the impact rattle up his bones. 'Damn it... his legs feel like they're made out of steel!' he thought, quickly springing back to reassess his current situation. It was the first time he had ever felt like he was the one taking damage after delivering a strike — and against a man who by all rights should've been fragile with age.
Eli on the other hand stood firm; and utterly unfazed, now a small smirk curling at the corner of his lips.
"What? Didn't expect an old man like me to be so capable?" he mocked, voice light but eyes were sharp, and cunning.
Ayano gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes. "Tch... No, not really," he admitted, straightening his posture slightly. His instincts were screaming at him now — not in fear, but in warning. He wasn't dealing with some washed-up elder reliving his glory days. Eli was dangerous. Still is dangerous.
Eli's smirk deepened, like he was reading Ayano's thoughts without needing to hear them.
"Good," Eli said, tapping his cane once against the ground before setting it aside casually, like he wouldn't need it for what was about to happen. "You're smart enough to realize that. Maybe there's hope for you after all."
Ayano shifted again, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet, keeping his guard loose but ready. He wasn't sure what Eli would do next — and that uncertainty alone was enough to raise every hair on his body.
Then Eli moved.
It wasn't exactly flashy. It wasn't even fast by any normal measure. But it was terrifyingly precise, suffocatingly so. In an instant, Eli was inside Ayano's guard, a fist stopping just a breath away from his solar plexus. Ayano barely managed to twist his body to avoid a clean hit, but the air displacement alone from the punch left a small tremor in his gut...
'Shit... he's practically toying with me.' Ayano realized. grinding his teeth. There was no killing intent, no malice behind Eli's attacks — just frighteningly cold and clinical control. The kind that only came from what felt like decades of fighting, surviving, and perfecting the art of violence itself.
'If I can already ascertain that with just a few strikes and being around the guy; then he's nothing short of the real deal...' Ayano thought.
"You're quite fast, I can admit that." Eli said, casually stepping back. "But, you think far too much. You're still trying to fight like a man who's got something on the line to lose."
Ayano tightened his fists, feeling a slight sting of irritation. Martial arts was all about methodical movement, at least to him. Abandoning that practice, almost felt like some form of taboo... "And what's wrong with that?"
Eli gave a low chuckle, the kind that seemed to rattle the walls... "Nothing... if you want to lose." He shifted his stance slightly, body relaxed yet, it was as if it was coiled like a form of spring. "If you truly want to awaken that beast inside you, boy, you need to throw yourself in fully... Instinct over hesitation. Will over fear."
Ayano stared at him, feeling the weight of those words settle into his chest. His blood thrummed a little louder in his veins.He didn't have the luxury of holding back anymore.
Ayano sprinted forwards again — much faster this time, and even lower to the ground the before, aiming for Eli's center of gravity. His entire body screamed move, move, move and he listened without second-guessing himself.
Eli seeing this, smiled almost imperceptibly, quickly raised his arm to parry the blow. To the old man; The real training was about to begin...
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Ayano stood there, panting heavily, sweat dripping from his chin onto the cracked, padded floor. His arms hung low at his sides, muscles aching, body screaming in protest after the relentless exchange. Even so, his eyes burned with something fierce — a faint shimmer of defiance, of hunger. He hadn't realized how deep it ran until now.
Across from him, Eli Jang was perfectly composed despite the red stains marking his skin. The blood wasn't his own — it was Ayano's, from split knuckles, bruised skin, maybe even some internal damage he hadn't registered yet. And yet... the old man still looked at him with something close to approval.
"We stop here for today." Eli said again, his voice completely even, like he hadn't just been trading blows that could shatter bones. He reached for his cane without hurry, like the session hadn't taken anything out of him; "Come back tomorrow, same time. And bring your real self with you next time. Leave your doubts, at the door..."
'You say that, but you've beaten me to a pulp without trying?' Ayano chuckled to himself internally, it would hurt if he did it normally. Now, he definitely knew that this old man was an absolute monster. Not only that, this was when he's old, and decrepit... 'I can't imagine what kind of monster he must have been when he was in his prime.'
Ayano quickly tried to straighten up, but staggered slightly, 'D-Damn...' Barely catching himself against the wall with a rough, shallow breath. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing a thin line of blood across his cheek without even noticing...
He could've resented Eli. Could've hated him for holding back and still pushing him so close to the edge. But deep down, under all the fatigue and frustration, Ayano felt something else entirely.
Gratitude.
Because for the first time, in a long while... He could feel, it. Something small stirring. Deep within the very core of his being, beneath the layers of caution and discipline — a low, primal urge. Heavy. Hungry. Alive.
Ayano didn't say anything to Jang. He just gave a small, sharp nod, and turned toward the stairs. As he climbed back toward the surface with his liming steps; each step echoing dully behind him. However, he knew one thing was for certain:
Tomorrow, he wasn't just coming back to train. He was coming back to get stronger... And whatever beast Eli saw within him. Even if it was small, he knew something was getting closer to the surface, with every beat of his heart.
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He was making his way home, slowly but surely. He took a slight break on a public bench to get himself in decent walking shape, using his recovery passive. While resting, he thought back to the training... 'I must have broken at least a few bones from that damn spar... It felt like one sided torture.' However, after 15 minutes of rest, he was already in relatively decent shape again.
So, he kept walking...
'Regardless... That spar was, fun. In fact, I've never actually gone all out in a fight before since I've came here, and that old man Jang, he took everything I had with ease... Heck, I don't even know if I show feel happy, or disappointed in my lack of performance, speaking of myself...'
He paused for a second, 'I wonder how much stronger I've gotten? I did activate my training mastery during that fight... Status.'
___________________
Name: Ayano Keiji
Class: The Chosen One
Height: 178 cm | 5'10"
Age: 17
Health: 21000 / 21000 [50000 / 50000]
Energy: 7400 / 7400 [10000 / 10000]
Strength: 521 / 1000
Defense: 521 / 1000
Agility: 522 / 1000
Spirit: 523 / 1000
___________________
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'Hah...! My attributes, they all raised by eight more in each category!' He was elated, seeing that all his stats were growing in real time. It meant he was already stronger than he was earlier in the day, even if it was just a slight increase. 'The training mastery passive is crazy useful... To think I'd get to see this much improvement from just getting my ass whopped for a few hours.'
He wasn't too proud of the getting beaten part, but his efforts where definitely paying off...
'Now I've just got to push myself even further tomorrow, at least if I want to keep seeing these increases... if this keeps up. I might even be able to surpass the 750 threshold of my attributes within, or by the end of the month.' He thought, thrilled.
However, he still remembered that he was already on a quest himself already, 'Looks like I'll have to find a way to juggle both of them. I know I've got to come back to receive more training. For now, I'll leave that bit for future me.'
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'Plus, I still feel a little aching in my liver...'
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The old man smiled to himself. He picked up his phone, dialing a number...
"Hello? Who is this?" The voice on the other end asked.
Jang smiled, "Zack... It's me."
Zack's voice crackled through the speaker, carrying that familiar roughness Eli hadn't heard in a long while. "Eh-Eli...? What in the blazes, you old coot! It's been months! I thought you dropped off the map again!"
Eli chuckled lowly, a rumble deep in his chest. "Hoho~ Yes, yes... sorry 'bout that. I've had some things to take care of." His eyes drifted toward the battered training mats, still carrying faint traces of the clash that just happened.
"So, how's the family doing?" Zack asked, his tone softening.
"They're good..." Eli answered, a rare warmth touching his words. "My daughter's still running the shop, and the grandkids... they're growing like weeds. Always getting into trouble, but nothing too serious."
Zack laughed, a genuine one this time. "Sounds like a handful. Mira and I are doing fine too. The kids are healthy, rambunctious as ever. Got no complaints."
There was a pause, comfortable, filled with the kind of mutual understanding only old friends shared.
Then Zack's voice sharpened slightly. "So... you didn't call just to chat about family, did you? You need something?"
Eli leaned back against the wall, resting his weight casually, the cane tapping once against the floor. "No... nothing like that. I just thought you'd want to hear this." He let the moment stretch, the old habit of measured speech never leaving him. "I've found someone."
Zack grew silent on the other end. He didn't need to ask what Eli meant — the weight behind those words said it all. "Really...?" Zack said finally, his voice low, curious and cautious. "Tell me more."
Eli smiled, slow and knowing... "He is. A blank canvas..."
"A... Blank, canvas?" Zack asked.
Eli chuckled, "Yes... That boy I've picked up showed something that even an old coot like me could see, with terrifying clarity too. His potential, it felt almost limitless in terms of what he could learn... That's why I've called him a blank canvas. Not only that. I've even sparred with him today. He was an extremely capable fighter in raw technique..."
"Really? What martial arts does this boy of yours even know?"
Eli's smile widened further, "That's the wrong question my little friend... It's what the boy didn't know. I saw a bit of Aikido, Taekwondo, Muay-Thai, Ssireum, Taekkyeon in fact, I even saw boxing in the mix too... and I doubt that's all he knows.'
"You make it sound like the boy's some kind of prodigy... Also, you said he knows a bit of boxing as well?" Zack said and asked, more so in the latter being a question.
Eli thought he had gotten his old friend interested now... "Yes, he's quite the capable boxer. In fact, he's easily be a professional with what he has, and when he was fighting with me, I realized that he was still improving himself."
Zack went silent again, but this time it wasn't just surprise. There was a low hum of something deeper and thoughtful beneath his breath... "...You're serious about this one." he finally muttered, almost to himself.
"I am." Eli said without missing a beat. "He's raw, green, and still shackled by doubt... but the fire is there. Barely lit — but there."
Zack gave a long exhale, the sound crackling over the line. "You're really thinking of training him properly, aren't you?"
Unknowingly to Zack, Eli's smile thinned into something sharper, colder. "Not thinking. I am." There was a long pause between them both. Only the faint crackle of the old phone line bridged the gap. Zack chuckled finally, a low, knowing sound. "May someone help the poor bastard. Regardless of all that... Why did you decide to call and tell me all this, Jang?"
Eli thought about it all for a moment, and smiled, "I just wanted to see if we can place our old dreams in that boy. And, to make them a reality."
Zack sounded shocked over the phone; "N-No way... You're not saying we should make that boy our disciple, right?" He asked, almost as if he was going crazy in his old age.
However, Eli didn't stutter in his response; "Yes, I think we should... If you saw him in person, you'd see what I was talking about... Plus, aren't you bored being cooped up in your home like I am these days? We are only getting older,Zack Lee... I at least want one last thing before I finally kick this old rusted bucket underneath myself."
After Eli had said those words, Zack stayed on for more than a minute before finally responding...
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A loud sigh could be heard; "Give me some time to get there... Send me your address as well, and I'll take care of telling the others about, this... And Jang, if you're pulling my leg about this kid. I'll personally show your old ass just how strong my Golden Fortress has become."
Eli laughed, Glad his friend had accepted. "Hahaha~ I don't plan on finding out about that anytime soon... So, hurry and get here."
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END