Ryan's breath didn't leave his mouth. He'd closed his eyes on sheer instinct, fully expecting the blow to hit him—the kind that shattered teeth, fractured jawbones, or turned memories into static.
His entire body was waiting for the impact to land, his mind was whispering him farewell before losing consciousness.
But nothing came, there was no pain, no type of ringing in his brain, just… stillness.
Ryan slowly opened his eyes up, cautious.
Stood in front of him was Maya. Her arm was extended out, muscles tensed, forearm pressed against Arthur's oncoming strike, blocking the elbow that had been seconds away from carving Ryan's skull with multiple stitches.
Her feet were planted wide, her stance was solid… but her face? Calm, focused, and annoyed.
Arthur's arm was still cocked mid-motion, frozen in one place. His knuckles were just a few centimeters away from Ryan's face.
"Why did you interfere, Maya," Arthur said, looking at Maya with a straight face.
Maya exhaled slowly, the tension between the two grew more. "Whoa, control yourself, buddy. You would have destroyed this little guy's skull. This is not a cage match or something, be sane."
Her arm didn't shake, but Ryan could see it. The subtle twitch in her wrist, the way her foot shifted slightly backward, as if it was absorbing the sheer pressure which Arthur was putting without even trying.
Arthur clicked his tongue as he pulled his arm back. "That wasn't even half of my strength."
Maya lowered her guard as she rolled her shoulder. "Yeah, and if you had landed it, this kid's IQ would've dropped to single digits real soon."
Arthur grabbed his towel from the ropes, slung it over his shoulder as he reached for his water bottle. "He said he knew how to jab, so I thought he also knew how to block," he muttered as he took a sip of the water.
Ryan, still frozen in one place, finally collapsed backward with a loud gasp. His back hit the mat, sweat soaking through his shirt as he stared right up at the ceiling.
His heart was hammering through his chest just like that of a war drum.
Maya turned slightly and glanced over at her forearm which got swollen by the impact of Arthur's strike.
'He said that this wasn't even half of his strength,' she thought grimly, her lips pressed into a line. 'And I already got bruised? Tsk… I'm still so damn weak. If he's just like him… then I still have levels to climb up to match these monsters.'
For a brief moment, her eyes clouded.
A flicker of memory clicked in, a shadowed silhouette. Towering, chiseled. An aura of absolute dominance radiating from the man in her mind—his figure sharp and unwavering, like that of a deity carved from war itself.
'Arthur's strength, it was near his.'
But not quite, she blinked the thought away.
Back in the ring, Ryan heard the echo of a familiar mechanic tone of the system.
[DING! Quest Complete.]
[You survived 15 seconds against Arthur Kane.]
[Rewards: Arthur's Interest +1. Maya's Interest +1.]
He let out a breathless laugh. 'No kidding… I survived… haha, it was worth it, I guess.'
His limbs trembled, he was sure if Maya hadn't stepped in, he would have been sent to the ICU ward.
The blow Arthur stopped—Ryan didn't even want to imagine what damage it would've done to him.
He turned his head to the side and saw Maya walking toward him with a bottle of water in her left hand. She knelt beside him as she gave him a small smirk.
"Here, dead meat. Have some water."
He accepted it gratefully and chugged it up, the water was quite warm, but it tasted like life itself. He coughed halfway through but didn't stop until he emptied the whole bottle up.
"Thanks… for the water and for saving me," he said, voice hoarse.
Maya leaned on one knee, tilted her head a bit. "You've got balls, I'll definitely give you that. Not many people dare to step in the same ring as Arthur."
Ryan wiped his mouth as he muttered. "Didn't feel brave enough, haha. Felt more like I was walking into a meat grinder."
She laughed. "Your jab wasn't half bad either. A little slow, too much shoulder tilt, but decent for a newbie like you. You've got potential."
Ryan's chest warmed a bit—not from exertion this time, but something else. Pride, maybe. Or gratitude.
'I'm… being complimented?'
He wasn't used to this. Being noticed like this, being seen more than a punchline. Being acknowledged by people like Maya or Arthur—monsters in their own league.
He smiled weakly. "Thanks… really."
Maya stood and extended her hand. "Come on, rookie. You're gonna cramp up like that if you keep lying there for too long."
He grabbed her hand and she hoisted him up with surprising strength. He wobbled a bit but caught himself. His arms were dead, legs might as well have been jelly.
But, somehow standing there beside her, he felt… sturdy. Like maybe he wouldn't be so broken after all of this.
Arthur, leaning against the wall near the exit door, glanced back once. "Tch. Not bad, fat boy."
Ryan blinked, not once but twice. 'Did he… just compliment me?'
Arthur turned and walked out of the gym doors without saying another word.
Ryan turned towards Maya, still trying to catch his breath. "He… did he compliment me?"
Maya nodded. "Yeah," she said, smiling. "That's about as close to praise you'll ever get from him."
Ryan let out a weak chuckle. "Haha, noted."
As they both walked out of the ring together, Maya draped a towel over his back. "Come back tomorrow, same time."
"Huh?" Ryan muttered in complete confusion.
"You want to get stronger or no?" she said, eyes flashing with challenge. "I'm going to train with you and Arthur. You've got potential, Ryan West. But potential is useless if you don't put in the right work."
He blinked. "Train with you… you both?"
"Yup," she said with a soft smile on her face.
Ryan felt the weight of her words settle over him.
He'd spent most of his life living as an invisible person, a nobody. The kid in the back with whom no one even wanted to sit with.
But now he had a system, quests, and some people who might even care for him.
He looked at Maya as he muttered. "I'll be there."
"Good," she said, turning towards the exit door.
Ryan laughed, bruised and weak.
But he was happy. As he limped out of the gym behind her, the system echoed in his mind again.
[DING! Hidden Stat Unlocked: Willpower – F Rank.]
He got shocked because of the random echo. 'What the fuck? A random stat unlock?'
[DING!]
[Yes host, you triggered the hidden stat feature.]'Oh... that's just... way interesting.'