Chapter 9: 9. Combat Training?
After Ryota's stamina passed 30, the frigid temperatures of Impel Down's freezing hell no longer bothered him. The cold that used to bite at his skin had become nothing more than a slight nuisance. This new toughness was helped by his new passive skill, "Cold Resistance," which reduced the harshness of the cold by 15%.
With his body now used to the freezing atmosphere, Ryota shifted his focus away from building more stamina. He knew that staying alive meant balancing both his physical and mental strength. He was determined to grow in every way needed to survive.
Ryota realized that while stamina had been important at first, he needed to grow in other ways too. He started putting his stat points into different areas, carefully thinking about how each one could help with his escape plan. Strength and agility became his main focus because he knew he would face physical challenges.
He decided not to worry about intelligence for now since he didn't have any skills that used mana. But Ryota knew that mana would be important later, and he planned to invest in intelligence when the time was right. He was thoughtful and strategic, always looking ahead to ensure he would be ready for whatever came next.
Ryota was fascinated by his perception stat. It reminded him of Observation Haki, a ability from the One Piece world which allowed people to sense others' presence, feelings, and intentions. Although Ryota's perception didn't let him see the future like Observation Haki could, it was incredibly useful even at this early stage. In fact, it was probably more effective now than the first levels of Haki. This ability was already helping him a lot, making him more aware of his surroundings and the movements of the guards. Ryota felt that his perception would be crucial in helping him escape from Impel Down.
Moreover he had no way to learn the Observation Haki down here and could only try to do his best with the things provided to him.
Despite making progress in various stats, Ryota's level stayed stuck at 1. This frustrated him, but he knew that leveling up meant he had to defeat or kill enemies. His chance would come when he made his move toward Level 5.5. This hidden level was rumored to be reachable only through a forest full of snow wolves—perfect targets for gaining experience points. Ryota saw this as a chance not just to increase his level, but also to test his new abilities in combat.
That also reminded him that he need to learn how to fight. He decided that he would try doing some boxing practice as he had no weapon with him. Well he didn't have the pen, but Ryota was not sure whether the pen would be able to pierce the tough hides of those wolves.
'There's nothing wrong with trying to fight using the pen until he gets a proper weapon. He could use them to target the weak spots of wolves like eyes, mouth, etc,' Ryota came to a realisation.
With his increased stats, Ryota took far less time than before to complete the daily quest. Though the one involving running still took him a bit longer due to the length of the jail.
Now, the rest of the day could be dedicated to his combat training.
Another thing he often thought about was the random boxes given by the system. Besides the incredible gift of understanding Japanese, most of the stuff in these boxes had been pretty underwhelming. They were filled with pens, paper, trinkets, and other everyday items that felt almost insulting in their lack of usefulness...No the pens now had their purposes, so he couldn't lump them together with the other pointless things.
Yet, he didn't receive any dungeon keys like the ones Jin-woo had been given.
'Maybe my luck is just terrible,' Ryota thought with a sigh, accepting that his lack of fortune was the only explanation he could think of.
With today's daily quest completed and several hours left until midnight, Ryota decided to dedicate the remaining time to combat practice. Despite his lack of knowledge about boxing, he had watched numerous videos in his previous life, giving him a basic understanding of the sport. However, he acknowledged that watching and actually executing the moves were two entirely different things. Nevertheless, he opted to give it a shot rather than idly wasting time.
As he stood in the dimly lit corner of his cell, Ryota assumed a makeshift boxing stance, unsure if it was even remotely accurate. He began to throw punches, trying to mimic the movements he had seen in the videos. However, his attempts felt clumsy and awkward, lacking the fluidity and precision he had witnessed onscreen. Each punch seemed to be more of a flail than a calculated strike, and Ryota couldn't help but feel frustrated by his own incompetence.
Despite his initial struggles, Ryota refused to give up. He knew that mastery came with practice, and he was determined to improve. With each failed punch, he analyzed his form, trying to pinpoint where he was going wrong. He adjusted his stance, corrected his posture, and focused on his technique, hoping to make even the slightest progress.
Time seemed to pass in a blur as Ryota continued his practice, the monotony of repetition slowly giving way to a sense of determination.
Hours slipped by unnoticed as Ryota lost himself in his training, his mind consumed by the singular goal of improvement. He didn't care about the passage of time; all that mattered was the relentless pursuit of progress.
With his improved physique he didn't feel exhausted even after the long time of training.
Ryota continued his training without pause until he sensed someone entering his perception range, which had increased to 30 meters after the stat points he added
Ryota felt more alert, his attention drawn to a commotion ahead. Despite the cold mist, he could make out two guards dragging an unconscious and bloodied person.
Their forms were obscured by the mist, but Ryota's improved eyesight allowed him to see them clearly.
Feeling curious, Ryota watched as the guards approached, their footsteps resounding loudly in the quiet surrounding s. They halted at a cell adjacent to Ryota's, opening its door with a loud noise.
They dropped the prisoner heavily onto the ground inside. A groan escaped the prisoner's mouth as he seemed to regain consciousness. The guards then quickly left after locking the cell.
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