Early the next morning.
After breakfast and weighted morning drills, the recruits neatly dressed in uniform and assembled in the square.
However, their training officer was not the usual Captain Brant, but another tall, burly middle-aged officer. His white skin had been tanned bronze, his broad waist and powerful back packed with muscle, and he carried a stern, murderous air.
"Captain Brant is taking the day off, so I'll be filling in and leading your combat training. My name is Joseph Kingsley. Just call me Instructor Joseph," the substitute instructor announced loudly.
"Understood!" the recruits answered in unison.
"Oh, right. That rookie soldier who made quite a splash yesterday is in your unit, isn't he?" Instructor Joseph asked with interest. The recruits immediately turned their eyes toward Kyle in the second row, while Steve watched his best friend with slight nervousness.
"Soldier Kyle, step out!" At Instructor Joseph's command, Kyle marched out of the ranks.
"Not bad-looking, either. Your pistol shooting yesterday was indeed worthy of being called marksmanship—" Instructor Joseph praised him, then abruptly changed his tone. "But being a marksman alone is nowhere near enough to make you an outstanding American soldier! If an enemy gets close, they'll put you down in less than one exchange!"
Looks like he came to take me down a peg.
Kyle grumbled inwardly, but asked with a humble expression, "Could Instructor Joseph personally show me what that looks like?"
A blatant challenge!
The recruits behind Kyle felt their scalps tingle.
Instructor Joseph's lecture stalled, and anger rose in his heart. No wonder Captain Brant had been so irritated he needed a day off—this rookie was far too prickly!
Instead of getting angry, Instructor Joseph laughed. "Very good. Then I'll show you what close-quarters combat really means."
"What if I accidentally injure you, Instructor?" Kyle asked with concern.
"I permit you to strike back freely. That's an order!" Instructor Joseph waved a hand, signaling Kyle to attack first.
"Then this soldier won't hold back."
The moment he finished speaking, Kyle moved. He crossed the few steps between them in a single breath, both hands clenched into fists as he launched clean, decisive Military Boxing Combat techniques!
Military Boxing and Combat Mastery: Master practical military boxing, focused on close-range fist-fighting methods. Green Ability Card.
An expert could tell the moment another expert made a move. Instructor Joseph had not expected Kyle to have perfectly mastered Military Boxing Combat, and could only hastily defend himself. As a result, he suffered in silence as Kyle pressed him relentlessly.
Kyle did not care how high the instructor's rank was, nor did he use any flashy tricks. He smoothly carried a full set of Military Boxing Combat techniques through to the end, treating Instructor Joseph like a punching bag for sparring.
This is humiliating! Joseph's expression shifted slightly as he sensed that the recruits watching had begun to look at him differently. Since he was also proficient in Military Boxing Combat, he had blocked nearly all of Kyle's punches, but from the outside, it looked as though Kyle was completely overwhelming him.
"Had enough? Learning Military Boxing Combat alone isn't enough to fight me!" Joseph changed his techniques. With his hands and feet unfolding into a different combat style, he began to suppress Kyle in turn.
"So he really has some skill." Kyle panted heavily. While struggling to fend off the other man's attacks, he also focused part of his attention on Instructor Joseph's Ability Cards.
Military Boxing and Combat Mastery, Endurance Combat Mastery, Counter Combat Mastery, True Physique Mastery—
He had four Green Cards solely related to physical training! One of them was even a rare Green Card!
"No wonder he could counter me so quickly after falling behind at the start." Kyle's eyes lit up as he began extracting the cards from the instructor.
Extracting a Green Ability Card required staying within one meter for three continuous minutes.
That was Kyle's true purpose in sparring with the instructor. There was no better excuse to get close than a practice fight.
Kyle had fallen into a disadvantage, but he stubbornly held on. Joseph could not knock him down for the moment. He had intended to stop, but the instant his body relaxed, Kyle tangled with him again and unleashed Military Boxing Combat.
"Soldier, are you really forcing your instructor to injure you?"
Instructor Joseph gritted his teeth, but Kyle seemed to gain more energy the longer they fought, stubbornly clinging to him and continuing the battle.
Three minutes later, Counter Combat Mastery extraction succeeded.
Kyle felt warm energy flow through his entire body, enhancing his physical condition. At the same time, the techniques of Counter-Attack Combat settled into his mind as if he had practiced them for more than a decade.
"Get down!" Instructor Joseph intensified his punches, about to knock Kyle to the ground. But Kyle suddenly hooked both arms around his, locking them in place before launching a counterattack with the momentum!
Counter-Attack Combat! Military Boxing Combat!
With the enhancement from the Ability Card, the gap between Kyle and the instructor continued to narrow, allowing the contest, which should have ended soon, to drag on further.
Instructor Joseph and Kyle traded blows in close combat. Dust rose around them, yet neither could gain the upper hand.
A battle between experts!
The recruits nearby watched in stunned silence. Their intense close-quarters fight also attracted other units from the training grounds, and soon they were surrounded three layers deep, inside and out.
"What's happening over there?" Agent Carter, who happened to be passing by, saw the scene and asked an officer heading that way. The officer spread his hands and replied helplessly, "A recruit is sparring with Joseph in close combat."
"Joseph?" Carter's alluring lips parted slightly in surprise.
"Yes, Joseph—the training instructor specializing in combat subjects." The officer gave a wry smile. "I have no idea how that recruit is doing it, but he's actually held out under Joseph for nearly ten minutes."
"What is that recruit's name?" Carter opened the document folder in her hands.
"Kyle. Soldier Kyle."
Card extraction succeeded.
True Physique Mastery: Maintains a strong and superior physique, making one healthier than ordinary people and improving endurance and physical strength to a certain degree. Rare Green Ability Card.
"Success."
Kyle gasped for breath, sweat having already soaked through his uniform. With the last physical Ability Card secured, a clear surge of strength flowed into his body, but the soreness and exhaustion had already sunk deep into his flesh.
He kicked off with both legs and leaped backward, breaking away from the fight. Instructor Joseph growled and continued pursuing him, but Kyle suddenly raised both hands. "All right. I'm out of strength. I surrender."
"Hm?" Instructor Joseph was panting hotly as well. At the last moment, he stopped his fist just before Kyle's nose, his beard bristling as he said, "What, can't keep going?"
"As expected of an instructor. Your strength, speed, and combat skills are all superior. This soldier admits defeat. If you hadn't been holding back all along, this soldier would probably have lost an arm or leg already." Kyle dropped onto the ground, not forgetting to flatter him.
"You brat." Instructor Joseph cursed, then ignored the many people watching and sat down on the ground as well, equally exhausted. "I did hold back at the start, but afterward, I was fighting seriously. I have to say, soldier, your talent for combat is the first I've seen in twenty years of service. You're absolutely at monster level."
During their ten-plus minutes of fighting, Instructor Joseph had felt as though Kyle were learning from him, his close-combat techniques improving at a frightening speed. How could that not shock him?
"That was satisfying. Let's spar again sometime when we're free," Instructor Joseph said with a smile. He genuinely liked soldiers who picked up combat techniques so quickly.
"No problem." Kyle nodded without backing down. Besides the three physical Ability Cards he had just extracted, Instructor Joseph still had several other Green Ability Cards.
"You soldiers—" Instructor Joseph raised his brows and swept his gaze across the crowd before roaring, "What are you all looking at? Don't you need to train? Or do you want to challenge me to a one-on-one spar too?"
We're not monsters like Kyle.
The surrounding recruits did not dare respond. They scattered like a burst beehive.
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