"I can't go back to the Combat Club anymore..."
Sulu walked out of the Combat Club and looked back at the towering building, feeling a little regretful.
Even though he could only harvest from each person twice, every little bit counted. Besides the three instructors, there were so many students.
As long as they were hostile toward him and became "red-name monsters," they could provide at least two rounds of experience points.
The biggest shame was Baron. After losing once, he refused to come back for a second match, much to Sulu's regret.
"Everyone at the Combat Club must hate me by now. If I go back, it'll really be like challenging the whole club..."
Sulu sighed and looked at his Attribute Panel. A "+" had appeared beside [Krav Maga Combat Arts LV2].
[Spend 20 Experience Points... Krav Maga Combat Arts level increased to LV3! Constitution +0.3, Strength +0.3!]
"Raising my combat arts from LV2 to LV3 cost 20 Experience Points. I just spent everything I'd earned, but it was completely worth it!"
Sulu looked at his Attribute Panel:
Name: [Sulu Portley] Occupation: [None] Rank: [0] Title: [None] Strength: [1.4], Agility: [1.2], Constitution: [0.9], Spirit: [1.6] Skills: [Corpse Maiden Creation LV1], [Krav Maga Combat Arts LV3] Passives: [General Hebrew LV3], [Basic Physics LV4], [Demon Hunting Lore LV1], [Ancient Hebraic LV2] Experience Points: [0]
"Finally... my Constitution has recovered to its previous level!"
The life force drained by the Black Sorcery he'd used last time had finally been fully restored.
His Strength had also increased considerably, putting it almost half again as high as an ordinary person's!
"You could say I achieved my goal at the Combat Club in just two days. It's all thanks to Experience Points!"
Sulu knew very well that he wasn't a true genius. His monstrous achievements were entirely thanks to his Attribute Panel and Experience Points.
But the Attribute Panel was amazing. He'd become incredibly skilled at mastering these hard-won abilities through sheer "force-feeding."
"With Krav Maga Combat Arts at LV3, my mastery has improved further... I even feel that the Eight Forms taught at the Combat Club are still too complicated. They could easily be simplified into the Four Forms!"
Sulu closed his eyes, realizing just how formidable combat arts at this level were.
The Combat Club taught only a simplified version, with many unnecessary movements added and some key elements removed.
"After all, it's meant for civilian use. It'd be a bit too much if every move killed someone!"
Sulu understood that perfectly.
Based on his experience, he immediately transformed the Eight Forms into the more refined Four Forms!
With high-level combat arts, inspiration poured into him. He felt like an improvisational poet, eager to begin reciting and performing.
He glanced around, found a small grove with few people, and began practicing in silence.
"Attacks come in only two kinds: overwhelming force and targeting weaknesses. Those are two forms, which can be called Tiger Style and Crane Style!"
"Footwork and Grappling Technique can be combined into Python Style!"
"And finally, there's the defensive Turtle Style!"
"With combat arts at LV3, I can innovate and develop my own techniques. Tiger, Crane, Python, and Turtle—these are my own Four Forms!"
Sulu let out a long breath.
With his current understanding of Krav Maga, he could easily establish a small school of his own and pass it down under a name like "Su-Style Krav Maga" or something. No... it should be "Potter-Style Krav Maga."
But I still like the name Su-Style Krav Maga better. It sounds a bit like Su-Style Tai Chi...
Sulu slowly lowered his hands, feeling a little melancholy.
"Good!"
Just then, someone nearby clapped. "It's rare to see anyone master Krav Maga Combat Arts to your level!"
"Who?"
Sulu narrowed his eyes and looked toward the sound.
A young man emerged slowly from beneath the trees. He had regular features, blue eyes, fair skin, a linen shirt, and casual trousers. A smile always played on his lips, making him look like the cheerful boy next door.
"Don't worry, I mean you no harm!"
The young man walked up to Sulu. "My name is Donald, and I'm the president of the university's Combat Club. It's rare to find a student as good as you... How about it? Interested in joining my Combat Club?"
"You... just got back from somewhere?"
Sulu fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked.
"Uh... yeah? What's wrong?" Donald asked, puzzled, as he rubbed the back of his head.
If you go back, you'll find that I've almost completed the club-challenging achievement. I took on the entire Combat Club by myself... You wouldn't be speaking so nicely to me then. You'd challenge me to a duel on the spot!
Sulu rolled his eyes inwardly and thought to himself.
Still, whether Donald knew what had happened or not, Sulu's eyes lit up. "Since you're the president of the Combat Club, let's fight!"
Without a doubt, this was another human-shaped Experience Point monster, and he was sure to be worth more than Baron!
"All right!"
Donald's eyes shifted as he agreed. "Here I come!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he charged at Sulu, opened his hand, swung it high, and brought it down in a single blow.
Whoosh!
The gust of wind struck Sulu's face, stinging fiercely.
"Turtle Style!"
Sulu defended with all his might. With a bang, the two of them were knocked apart.
He rubbed his numb arm, his expression grave. How powerful. No wonder he's the president of the Combat Club!
His Strength was already beyond that of an ordinary person, but Donald was stronger and faster!
I have to attack first. Crane Style!
Sulu swept out both hands. His arms moved rapidly, like a runner speeding up before a race, and he suddenly accelerated as he circled Donald and attacked.
"Good!"
Donald's eyes lit up. The muscles across his back bulged, making him seem as hard as a brick wall. He took Sulu's swinging strike head-on.
With a muffled grunt, Sulu staggered backward. It felt as if he'd hit an iron wall. Donald had an effect similar to an iron-body technique.
Crane Style is fast and allows for frequent attacks, but its striking power is lower!
At that thought, Sulu moved swiftly. Suddenly, his swinging hand turned into a claw, and he grabbed down fiercely.
Crane Style shifted into Tiger Style!
Faced with that move, Donald didn't dare take the hit with his body again. He let out a low growl, and the bones in his arm seemed to soften all at once, turning it into a real steel whip. He lashed out with the momentum of the attack!
Smack!
Sulu stumbled back several steps, hiding his right hand behind his back.
Donald didn't take the opportunity to attack. He stopped there and smiled. "You're impressive—better than all the instructors at my Combat Club. There's no need to continue..."
If we keep going, I'll have to use Python Style. Once we get into close-quarters grappling, if we're evenly matched and both go all out, it'll be hard to control our strength. It's too dangerous...
Sulu stopped too. They were classmates, and they'd agreed from the start that this was just for fun. There was no need to fight for real.
"I can tell that even though you practice Krav Maga, yours is much more refined than what we teach at my Combat Club. It seems to come from the military, with a fierce style, but not from the Federal Army... By the way, what's your name?"
Donald looked puzzled, and his gaze made Sulu's heart skip a beat.
"My name is Sulu! Sulu Portley!"
"Sulu? I'll remember that! You can come find me at the Combat Club anytime!"
Donald smiled, then turned and left.
Before you continue