My Pro Boxer System

When I arrived at the venue for the match, it was already packed. Crowds of people circled outside the run down building. I managed to squeeze my way through the crowd and headed toward the changing room, but then someone in the crowd recognized me.

"Whimsical Clown? You're the guy who beat that fat bitch last week. Can I get a picture?"

Before I could even respond, the guy had his arm slung around my shoulder and began taking selfies. A few others saw us and joined in, taking pictures of me.

"You were amazing last week!"

"Join us for drinks later."

It was a struggle to shake them off, but just then Yuki appeared, and they all dispersed at once.

Without a word, she took me by the hand and started dragging me toward the locker room.

"Dummy, what took you so long?" she asked, clearly angry. I had ended up falling asleep after that intense training with Alexa. Matches were already underway. "I trusted you."

"I'm sorry, I just got caught up in something."

"Why did I trust you? I'm tired of people not showing up when I need them."

She walked at a brisk pace, keeping her head down. This seemed to be about more than just me showing up late, so I stopped her to talk properly.

"I'm sorry I was late. I should've notified you earlier instead of letting you think I betrayed you."

It was obvious she was angry, but her expression softened when she heard my apology.

"Well, it's my fault. It was a mistake to trust you. We're the ones forcing you against your will."

"No, I'm glad you trusted me. We're partners, after all."

A pink blush flushed her face.

"Partners?" she squealed a little too loudly. "W-what gave you that idea?"

"Well, aren't we? You're kind of like my manager."

She looked at me, baffled, but then a faint smile appeared.

"Your manager…" she whispered, barely enough for me to hear.

"From now on, I'll try my best not to be late, but if I am, I'll inform you ahead of time so you can cover for me."

She nodded, accepting my proposal, and the two of us walked toward the locker room. I memorized all the information she had given me about my opponent. This time, I would be fighting someone with actual fighting experience—a former MMA fighter.

Apparently, this guy practiced various forms of mixed martial arts, but since this was a boxing match, he was restricted to just boxing. He weighed around 200 pounds and stood 6 feet 2 inches tall. He was a beast of a man with an impressive win-to-loss ratio.

I wasn't too worried. I figured it would go the same as last time. Luckily, since I was late, my match would be the last of the night.

"Don't underestimate this one," Yuki said as she sat beside me in the locker room. "He got kicked out of the UFC for nearly killing his opponent in a match. They call him 'The Ape' because of his tendency to go wild whenever he gets too riled up."

"Do you happen to know any weaknesses he has?"

"I'm sorry, I haven't been able to find anything like that," she sighed. "A lot of people were impressed by your match last week, but this is a different opponent. Fat bitch was only known for beating up the weaker fighters we have. It caused quite a stir that a kid managed to get the better of him, but based on how the bets are going tonight, there isn't much hope you'll win."

I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself for the match. Alexa had taught me a breathing exercise to help clear my mind and get in tune with my environment, no matter how chaotic it was.

The fighters in the locker room were paying much more attention to me than they did last week. I got the feeling they were sizing me up.

After a while, Chris entered the locker room and escorted me to the ring. My opponent, The Ape, was already inside, as was the announcer.

The crowd cheered as I stepped into the ring. I taunted them by taking off my shirt, swinging it around, and then launching it into the crowd.

I knew I would come to regret that later, but for now… I had an opponent to beat. As soon as I got into the ring, the announcing began with his introduction.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the last match of the night is underway, so get your bets in as soon as possible. Introducing first, the child prodigy who knows how to have a good time, Whimsical Clown!!"

The crowd roared into a frenzy and started throwing empty containers into the ring. I matched their excitement and began taunting my opponent. I had to live up to my name as the Whimsical Clown. My opponent stood nonchalantly and closed his eyes as if he wanted to block everything out. The two of us were close in height, but when it came to weight, he was much bigger.

Watching him, an ominous feeling rose in my chest. I had felt it the moment I stepped into the ring, and the pressure from him only kept increasing.

"Our second contender: the feral beast who thrives on pain and suffering. Fighting out of the corner of primal urges, The Ape!"

The crowd cheered for him, but he didn't even pay them any mind. He completely ignored them, but his eyes slowly opened and locked onto me. I felt a chill creep up my spine just from his gaze.

The referee gave the signal to start, then exited the ring as fast as he could. I immediately took my stance, but my opponent didn't move an inch.

His posture was relaxed, with his arms dangling by his sides. He stared at me coldly, then started walking toward me nonchalantly.

The moment he got close, I threw a jab aimed at his face. He leaned back, making the punch whiz past his face, but then I followed up with another blow, this time aimed at his midsection.

My fist connected with his abdomen at full force, but he barely reacted. Instead, a smile rose on his ugly face. Well, that was a lie—he wasn't ugly at all. In fact, he had the face and body of a model. Everything about him seemed perfect.

"Not bad, kid. You've got some force behind your blows," the man said, then started taking his stance.

His stance looked strange to me. His right glove was up to his face, and his left arm was stretched out toward me. He stood with his legs shoulder-width apart, but one of his feet was slightly raised.

'What kind of stance is that?' I wondered.

[It's a Muay Thai stance.]

You mind telling me what his stats are? I'm going to need that if I'm going to fight him.

[Sorry, I can't.]

What do you mean you can't?

[Because that would be breaking the rules. I can't disclose the stats of another system user.]

Before I had time to dwell on Alexa's words, a blow came flying at my head. It was too fast. The only thing I could do was block it with my gloves, but even then, the force was like getting hit by a bus.

My head was swimming. Everything was a blur. I staggered back to get away from him, but then I felt a warm liquid trailing down my face.

The single blow I had blocked was enough to make me bleed.

Who is this guy?

"You're sturdy."

In a flash, he was in front of me again. My instincts kicked in when he threw another punch aimed at my solar plexus. I blocked it with my elbow.

It was an illegal move on my part, but we were moving so fast I doubt anyone could see us properly.

[You're really like a wild animal when you're cornered, aren't you? It's kind of cute.]

It was necessary. If I had been hit in the solar plexus, I would've been out like a light.

He seemed completely unaffected, even though he punched my elbow at full force. I raised my arm to block my face, but my arm immediately went numb. I couldn't raise it past my face.

What is happening?

[He damaged the nerves in your elbow. He was so quick you didn't even notice it. The moment you raised your elbow, he targeted the exposed nerve.]

I was still confused by what Alexa was saying. What nerves are there in the elbow?

[I believe you guys call it the funny bone. Though it's not a bone, it's a nerve that's left exposed.]

A subtle chill rose in me. Within two blows, he had taken my arm out of commission. I glanced at my opponent, and there wasn't even the slightest hint of satisfaction on his face.

He had the look of a technician—skillfully taking his opponent apart.

In that moment, I felt true fear.