Does the Martial Arts Hall Provide Meals?

"You're here to apply for a sparring partner position?" In a spacious room styled with redwood, a short man sat in a large leather chair. He looked to be around forty, with a thin face covered in bluish stubble from a recent shave. His loose martial arts uniform made his frame seem especially slight. Combined with the shrewdness in his eyes and his somewhat sharp voice, it was hard to associate him with a martial arts hall. He looked more like a savvy businessman.

"Yes." Mu Fan lowered his eyes and leaned forward slightly.

"I'm Chanisen, a mid-level manager at Starfall Martial Arts Hall. The second and third floors are exclusive training areas for our VIP clients. As a sparring partner, your job is to serve as the clients' practice target—in other words, a sandbag, because you aren't allowed to fight back. Wages are paid daily: 500 Star Coins per day. Any tips from clients belong to you. The martial arts hall provides meals and routine treatment. If you are accidentally crippled, you'll receive a one-time compensation of 30,000 Star Coins, and we bear no further responsibility. Heh~~ If you accept, sign it." With that, he picked up a contract from the desk and tossed it over.

Mu Fan looked at the contract before him. Put plainly, it was just two simple sheets of paper. After scanning it and confirming there were no issues, he signed his crooked name.

"Tear off your copy of the contract. Man Kun, take this kid downstairs to wash up, get him changed, then explain the specifics to him. He'll officially start work this afternoon."

"Yes, Boss."

When the redwood doors closed, Chanisen rubbed his chin and chuckled. "Another fool. Does he think money is that easy to earn? We've been a little short on sandbags at the hall these past few days. Tsk~"

They took the elevator back down the way they had come and reached the first-floor lobby. Turning right at the exit, Man Kun pointed at a row of rooms ahead. "Those are the showers. Pick any room and wash up first, kid. You reek of engine oil. I'll bring you a set of training clothes to change into afterward. The hall provides them for free."

Ten minutes later, Mu Fan stood at the entrance to the lobby in a gray training uniform. When Man Kun walked over, his eyes lit up. "Kid, you look pretty sharp!"

Mu Fan was already quite tall, and the clean training uniform made him look even more upright. The grime had been washed from his face, revealing the vigor unique to youth. His eyes were bright and resolute, and standing there, he looked like a leopard poised to strike.

"First, we'll go to Training Field 5. I'll explain the basic procedures for sparring partners, then we'll do some endurance training. This money isn't as easy to earn as you think. I don't want to see you end up crippled."

Training Field 5, the staff-only training area of Starfall Martial Arts Hall, was already bustling. A group of people in the same gray training uniforms were sparring with one another.

"Haha, is this a newbie? You're not even twenty, are you? Coming to earn disability compensation at such a young age? Hahahahaha!" A burly man nearly 1.9 meters tall, with a scar across his forehead, wore a punching target on one arm as he casually handled the attacks in front of him. Then, during a casual glance around, he spotted Mu Fan being led over by Man Kun. Seeing his thin frame, he immediately burst into loud ridicule.

"Jerff, shut that filthy mouth of yours. If you want to make money at the hall, behave yourself. If you ruin the Boss's business, you know the consequences." Man Kun's gaze swept over the burly man, and his final words carried a chill. Jerff was a troublemaker among the hall's sparring partners. He was already thirty-three and had once been a mercenary. Later, after botching a job for an employer and provoking someone he shouldn't have, he left behind that life on the edge of a blade. Since he had plenty of strength, he came to Starfall Martial Arts Hall two years ago. His outstanding Level 13 Physical Standard was already six levels above the average person at this stage, and with his extensive combat experience, Jerff had never suffered any serious injuries. He had gradually made a name for himself among sparring partners. Everyone was warming up now, and Jerff, who had always been foul-mouthed and combative, naturally wouldn't miss the chance to have some fun at Mu Fan's expense.

"Heh heh, kid, if you're scared, hurry up and get lost. Four people like you have already been beaten into cripples. But even if you want to leave, you can't. You've signed the contract, right? Finish three matches first, then talk. Little newbie, hahahaha." Jerff gave Mu Fan another look before turning away and laughing loudly.

Mu Fan calmly glanced at Jerff, then withdrew his gaze. Jerff seemed enraged by being ignored. With Man Kun present, he couldn't act out, so he roared at the person attacking him, "You bastard, why are you hitting like a woman? Your punches are soft as water! Harder!! Harder! You're like a mosquito! What a fucking useless piece of trash!"

Reaching an open area to one side, Man Kun stopped. He took a handheld punching target from a wooden cabinet nearby and tossed it to Mu Fan behind him. "Kid, hold it properly. Grip it firmly with both hands. First, practice being a punching target for a sparring partner. The hall's clients vary in punching strength, and this is the only tool protecting you. If you can't hold it and it slips out of your hand, you could be seriously injured. Give it a try."

Mu Fan caught the punching target, strapped it over his right forearm, and swung it once. Then he bent his elbow and held it upright before his chest. Instead of supporting it with his left arm, he kept that arm loosely at his side in case of emergencies.

"Heh, kid, you're overconfident. Let me teach you a lesson first." Man Kun had a Level 11 Physical Standard. In the Federation's Level 6 Physical Standard, a burst punch carried 75 kilograms of force. The following levels corresponded to 150 kilograms, 250 kilograms, 400 kilograms, 600 kilograms, and 850 kilograms, from Levels 7 to 11. After that, each increase in level added 50 kilograms. Seeing that Mu Fan hadn't followed his instructions, Man Kun was somewhat annoyed. He admired the kid, but that didn't mean he would let him act without restraint. Against a heavy punch, failing to hold it steady would mean a seriously injured arm.

Man Kun held back half his strength. Then he suddenly turned and threw a swift, casual punch, intending to knock Mu Fan flying and make him suffer a little so he would learn his lesson.

Bang! The muffled sound was like striking worn leather. The expected sensation of his heavy punch knocking the other person back never came. Man Kun frowned. Mu Fan stood firmly before him, his right leg slightly bent and his left foot planted at an angle. Aside from his right arm and the loose strands of hair over his forehead, not a bit of his body had moved.

Hiss~ Man Kun had found a treasure. He understood very clearly what this meant. He hadn't expected such strength to be hidden in that lean body. Easily taking a punch at Level 9 Physical Standard meant Mu Fan's overall standard was no lower than his own!! Interesting!

"Good kid, I underestimated you. Watch yourself. There are machines over there for you to train on alone, or you can practice with the others. Do you have anything else to ask?" Man Kun pointed toward the group at the front right. Several dozen meters behind them stood piles of various training equipment.

"Yes!" Mu Fan's voice suddenly rang out, firm and forceful enough to make Man Kun pause.

"Go ahead."

"Does the martial arts hall provide meals?" A blazing light suddenly erupted in Mu Fan's eyes.

"Yeah. The hall provides breakfast and lunch. Dinner is on your own." Man Kun looked at Mu Fan strangely. Was there something odd about that?

"Then can I eat first before going to work later?"

"Of course. In an hour, Cafeteria 3 will begin serving lunch. The lunch break lasts an hour and a half. Then report here on time, and I'll assign your sparring duties for the afternoon. If you're over five minutes late, you'll be fined 50 Star Coins. If you're over thirty minutes late without a valid reason, don't bother coming back." The heat in Mu Fan's eyes made Man Kun uncomfortable all over, and he answered as quickly as possible.

"Thank you. Then I'll train now. Hit me again."

Man Kun looked at the kid before him, who seemed to have suddenly found motivation. He was completely different from the calm person he had been moments ago. Man Kun laughed. "I was only trying to remind you just now. Kid, go train over there yourself. I'm going to report today's situation to the Boss. Come over after you've eaten your fill at noon. Don't be late."

"Mhm." Upon hearing the words "eaten your fill," Mu Fan seemed to be filled with energy from head to toe. He was even a little, a little absentminded.

Man Kun looked at the kid in front of him, shook his head with an amused smile, and turned to leave.

Mu Fan walked step by step toward the sandbags and punching target machines, his eyes slightly unfocused as he punched the sandbag again and again. Thud, thud—each strike landed with an unusual rhythm. But if someone stood beside him and watched for a while, they would clearly notice that Mu Fan had drifted off...

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P.S. Thank you to reader "Dark Purity" for the 1888 reward!