My Pro Boxer System

While Yuki slept, I decided to complete my daily quest. I was transported to an area that looked like a batting cage. There were three machines in front of me that resembled cannons. Alexa was standing outside the cage, smirking as she usually did.

She wasted no time and began explaining what I would be doing for the quest.

"For today's quest, you'll be practicing some more combinations. The goal of this exercise is to increase your punching speed with rapid-fire combos, one after the other."

She explained that the machines in front of me would fire balls similar to tennis balls. My goal was to use the combos that popped into my head to punch the balls coming at me. If I missed a ball, it would harden like a rock at the last second. The force wouldn't be enough to break a bone, but it would be painful enough to leave serious psychological damage.

Also, if I performed the wrong move, the ball would harden as well. For example, if I threw a hook punch instead of a jab, then the ball would harden, and it would feel as if I were punching a hard rock.

"This training will continue until there is one hour left until your match today," she said.

I took my stance, and simultaneously, the three machines took aim at me. With a loud pop, a ball came flying out of the first machine, followed by more balls from the second and third machines within short intervals. At the same time, the combos I was to perform popped into my mind like magic.

I hit the first ball with a straight punch, then followed up with a light jab for the second, and a hook for the third. I smiled confidently as I cleared the first set. It seemed easy at first until the speed gradually picked up after each set.

It got to the point where I couldn't even see the balls. I relied on instinct to win. I got hit a few times. The pain was strong enough for me to faint on the spot, but before I could even process it, another ball would come flying.

My body was covered in purple bruises in the shape of circles. I gritted my teeth and ignored the pain as I punched the balls away. Soon, I fell into the zone. I was in a trance where my fists zipped through the air and snapped at the balls.

The sound of my own fists was addictive to the point that I completely forgot about the balls flying at me, but somehow, I was still hitting them. I didn't need to see them clearly; a blur alone was sufficient for me to react. I performed combos, one after the other, knocking away all the balls flying at me.

Hours passed until my training was finally over. Alexa was still outside the cage, wearing a bored expression on her face. She never enjoyed herself unless I was suffering through her training. When I got back home, Yuki was surprisingly still asleep on my bed, so I decided to take a shower.

When I returned, I woke her up and told her it was time for us to leave. She yawned and stretched before climbing out of bed.

"Were you done with your homework?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was. You were no help at all, though."

She frowned at my jest, clearly unamused. After that, we left the house, and I called a cab to take us to Firefly District.

"I guess I should thank you," Yuki mumbled as she stared out the window, observing the nightlife.

I realized that the moment the car arrived in Firefly District, her face had taken on a gloomy expression. Living in a place like this must not have been easy for her.

"Thank me for what, exactly?" I asked.

"You know, for not being a complete asshole. For making me lunch and allowing me to sleep at your place for a while and stuff. Really, it meant a lot." Her voice had a softness to it that I had never heard from her before. "You're actually not one of the worst guys I've met."

"Thank you; you're not one of the worst girls I've met either."

When we arrived at the venue for the fight, the place was packed. People crowded inside and outside the building. The guard didn't say anything to me when he realized I was with Yuki, so we entered without paying a dime.

She led me into a makeshift locker room where all of the fighters were, then went to find Chris; the guy who tortured me before. It felt as if she had dropped me off in a den of hungry lions. There were some interesting figures here. They looked like the type of people I would try my very best to stay away from, so I held my head down and ignored them.

"Hey, what's a child doing here?" a big, gnarly man stood over me. "You lost, buddy?"

The other fighters laughed at his jest.

"That bitch dropped him off here not too long ago, like a mom dropping her kid at daycare," another fighter interjected.

"Which one?"

"The pink-haired one. She hangs out with those lowlifes at the joint."

"Oh, that brat. Maybe she got herself a new boyfriend."

"Doubt it; she's as hateful as they come. She's the type to shank anyone who gets close to her."

It seemed Yuki didn't have a good reputation. The other fighters didn't bother with me; they mostly laughed and made jokes. I got the feeling they didn't care much about my presence. After a while, Yuki came back, holding a worn-out pair of boxing gloves and shoes.

She sighed exhaustedly as she arrived.

"I couldn't find Chris. That bastard is probably in some alleyway with that new girlfriend of his."

"How does an asshole like that land a girlfriend?"

"Ha! You'd be surprised at the lengths a guy like him would go to. Anyway, your match will be the first of the night, so hurry up and get changed."