Combat

Genius! Could there really be a combat genius in this world? He learned it after just one lesson?

Angelia was stunned.

"Coach, how did I do?"

Sulu asked excitedly after finishing the set.

It felt great to be in control of his own strength. Right now, he was confident he could take on two versions of his old self.

Of course, if he ran into that eerie shadow from before, his chances still wouldn't look good.

"Not bad. Very good!"

Angelia recovered from her daze, composed herself, and said, "I think you're ready to move on to sparring."

"Oh, so actual fighting?"

Sulu was a little excited. "Who's my opponent?"

"Beginners have the hardest time controlling their strength, so it'll just be me!" Angelia stepped onto a ring and did a few warm-up exercises, stretching her lovely figure to the fullest and immediately attracting plenty of attention.

"It's Angelia! She's going to spar with someone!"

Seeing this, several students nearby immediately dropped their training and gathered around the ring.

More and more people joined them until even the other two coaches had been drawn over.

"Phew..."

Sulu stepped into the ring and let out a long breath.

Though only a few dozen people were watching, he still felt a little nervous.

As expected, practicing alone and competing in an actual match are two different things, let alone fighting for real... Still, this is a chance to get some practice. I want to find out where the experience points come from.

So far, aside from gaining fifty experience points from that page in the spellbook, Sulu had come up empty. He'd tried reading it several times since, but found nothing, which left him a little frustrated.

It seems only a book containing some kind of special power can grant experience, and only the first time I read it. What about fighting monsters? Do I have to defeat them? Or do I have to... kill them?

Sulu felt a little weighed down.

"Do you need protective gear?"

Across from him, Angelia gave him a friendly smile.

"Thanks, but I don't need any. We can start."

Sulu took up a stance, and his whole demeanor changed in an instant.

Angelia's expression turned serious. She began to move slowly, circling him.

Suddenly, she planted her foot and surged forward like a leopard, slipping behind Sulu. Her right hand formed a blade and jabbed straight at the back of his head.

It was one of the human body's vulnerable points mentioned in the combat manual. A strike there could easily knock someone unconscious, and if the force wasn't controlled, it could even kill. In regulated matches, attacks to that area were forbidden.

Of course, Angelia knew what she was doing and was confident she could pull back at the last moment.

The next instant, Sulu spun around as if he had eyes in the back of his head. His right arm whipped out like a lash, slicing through the air with an explosive crack. "Fifth Form—Return Strike!"

Now that Krav Maga Combat Arts had become a skill, every movement had truly become instinct. The moment his body sensed a threat, it reacted without a second thought.

Before, Sulu would have had to feel the rush of air first, then think to defend himself, and finally wait for his body to follow through. That would have cost him a lot of time.

But now, the moment he felt the rush of air behind him, his body moved to defend itself without him even thinking.

"Huh?"

The two male coaches watching looked at each other in surprise.

When combat techniques became instinctive, that meant a person had truly mastered the basics. They could handle several ordinary people without any trouble.

Smack!

Their palms met in midair. Angelia quickly retreated and shook out her right hand. "Your strength..."

She'd only meant to test him. She hadn't expected Sulu to have really mastered the basics of combat, or to be so much stronger than she'd imagined.

"Coach, should we keep going?"

Sulu shook out his hand too, trying to ease the tingling.

"Again!"

Angelia was a little unwilling to accept defeat. She charged forward once more, this time attacking head-on as her fingers shot toward Sulu's eyes, fierce and forceful.

Krav Maga Combat Arts was simply that vicious. An ordinary opponent would lose their nerve just from seeing such an attack.

But Sulu remained perfectly calm. He performed the Eight Forms methodically, matching Angelia move for move.

Many of the students watched in stunned silence.

A combat rookie who'd only been training for two days was actually holding his own against a coach. It was impossible!

"Huff, huff..."

Sulu panted heavily, excited but fully aware that he was nearing his limit.

His strength and agility were about the same as Angelia's, but his constitution was still a little worse. If the fight dragged on, he would immediately fall behind.

But he wanted to win!

No matter what, this was a great chance to try to gain experience points!

Angelia's a girl, after all. Her constitution should be between 0.8 and 0.9. Her agility is about the same as mine, and she's a little weaker... But she's a coach, and she's been fighting a rookie this long. She's getting impatient...

After defending against several more attacks, a sudden flash of insight came to Sulu. "Now!"

As Angelia pulled back, he lunged forward, wrapped his arms around her waist, and threw her down hard.

Thud!

They both hit the floor. Sulu took advantage of the moment to wrap his legs around her like a python and lock her in place.

"Eighth Form—Body Lock Technique!"

It was the only relatively gentle way in Krav Maga Combat Arts to subdue an opponent. The other moves, like jabbing someone in the eyes or striking their throat, would be completely inappropriate here.

"Hmm???"

Trapped and unable to move, Angelia stared at him in bewilderment.

Until then, she'd been the one attacking while Sulu defended. She hadn't expected him to counter so suddenly. The unexpected move left her flustered, and he'd taken her down in one strike.

More importantly, this grappling technique meant the two of them couldn't avoid physical contact. They were tangled together on the floor, and Sulu's hands and feet brushed against sensitive areas, making her face flush even redder.

"Let go already!"

Her cheeks burning, she snapped at him.

"Sorry!"

Sulu got up. Only then did it occur to him that using the Body Lock Technique might not have been very appropriate after all, especially with so many people watching.

"Nice one, bro!"

"So that's the Grappling Technique? I want to learn it too!"

The students watching were buzzing with excitement. Quite a few whistled, their eyes turning green with envy.

With all those people watching, the guy had still dared to cop a feel so openly. That was just... so enviable! Ahhh... why couldn't that have been me?!

"You're very good. You've mastered all sorts of techniques... I lost!"

Angelia stood up, smoothed her hair, and spoke calmly.

She still found it hard to believe. Just yesterday, she'd laughed at Sulu for being a weakling. Now, a day later, he'd beaten her at her own game.

"Thank you, Coach!"

Sulu shook Angelia's hand, though he felt a little disappointed.

That victory hadn't earned him a single experience point.