Chapter 135 - 136 — Fourteen

Chapter 135: Chapter 136 — Fourteen

Chapter 136 — Fourteen

Victor woke with aches scattered throughout his body.

For a few seconds, he remained in the hammock, staring blankly ahead.

Then he slowly pulled himself out.

The moment his feet touched the floor, Victor grimaced.

His body was stiff.

He stretched his arms overhead, rolled his shoulders, twisted his waist, and slowly worked his legs before taking his first few steps.

Over the past several days, stretching had become almost mandatory.

His cultivation could heal much of the physical damage he received during his fights, but it couldn’t make the accumulated strain disappear completely.

He could barely walk properly until he stretched.

After several minutes, his body finally loosened.

Victor stood in front of the mirror.

He stared at his reflection.

Then something occurred to him.

Wait.

Victor thought back to everything he remembered about Victor Ashcroft.

His age.

The time of year.

He wasn’t completely certain.

There had been too much time spent underground, and without a proper sun or moon, keeping track of the days had been nearly impossible.

Still...

If his calculations were correct, today should be his birthday.

His fourteenth birthday.

Victor stared at himself for another moment.

He wasn’t even completely sure how long he had spent inside the cavern.

But based on the time he had estimated before entering it, today should be the day.

A small smile appeared on his face.

"Happy birthday, Victor."

The words felt strange coming out of his mouth.

He grabbed some water from the basin beneath the mirror and slicked his hair back.

Then he looked at his hands.

He flexed his fingers.

Slowly, he curled them into fists.

Just another day of fighting ahead of him.

Victor smiled faintly.

I’ll take it.

Today was the fifth day of continuous battles.

According to Monkaster’s instructions, he would begin the day fighting opponents Rank 70.

The first few days had been brutal.

At the beginning, Victor had lost far more fights than he won.

His opponents had been better at pure martial arts, and without his techniques, Victor had been forced to rely almost entirely on his fundamentals and instincts.

But something had changed as the days passed.

His fundamentals had improved.

His instincts had become more synchronized with them.

And, most importantly, he was getting used to fighting people who relied on different styles.

Yesterday, he had only lost three times.

All three defeats had come toward the end of the day, when exhaustion had finally caught up with him.

The number of victories had begun to overtake his losses.

And now Monkaster was changing the rules again.

At the end of yesterday’s training, the old monkey had removed the restriction.

Starting today, Victor could use his techniques again.

But that didn’t mean the training was over.

It meant it was entering its next stage.

Monkaster wanted Victor to learn how to combine everything.

His techniques.

His fundamentals.

His instincts.

Everything had to become one.

Victor couldn’t simply activate Flash Step and immediately throw a Monkey Fist every time he wanted to attack.

The stronger his opponents became, the more prepared they would be for his techniques.

They had techniques of their own.

They were waiting for opportunities just as he was.

If Victor became predictable, he would lose.

He needed to create those opportunities himself.

A feint.

A false opening.

A sudden change in direction.

A defensive movement that transitioned naturally into an attack.

Flash Step could get him close, but what happened afterward was what mattered.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how correct Monkaster had been.

The old monkey’s training methods might have been borderline psychotic...

But they worked.

Victor grabbed the rest of his things and stepped outside.

He immediately began jogging through the village.

He didn’t run particularly fast.

He simply wanted to get his blood moving and loosen his body before the day’s battles.

The familiar sounds of the Lava Rock Monkey settlement surrounded him.

By the time Victor reached the elevator, his body felt considerably better.

He stepped inside and continued stretching as the platform descended.

Then the elevator reached the bottom.

Monkasa was already waiting.

Victor immediately noticed something.

His friend was covered in bruises.

There were several new cuts across his body as well.

Apparently, Monkasa’s own training hadn’t been much easier.

Victor nodded toward him.

"Morning."

Monkasa’s familiar, enormous grin appeared.

"Morning, Victor."

The two began walking toward the dueling platform.

Victor looked at his friend.

"So, what was your win-loss ratio yesterday?"

Monkasa laughed.

"Considering I was fighting mostly Rank 20s?"

He scratched his head.

"I won once."

Victor laughed.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"That difficult?"

"You have no idea."

Monkasa shook his head.

"Once you break into the top thirty, the fighters become completely different."

His expression became more serious.

"Their styles are more developed. Their techniques are more varied. Their understanding of combat is on another level."

Victor nodded.

That made sense.

The further they climbed, the stronger and more experienced their opponents would become.

But then Moncasa’s grin returned.

"My one win was against a Rank 20."

Victor looked at him.

"You beat a Rank 20?"

"Yep."

Monkasa’s chest puffed out slightly.

"I had a breakthrough with my Monkey Fist."

Victor’s expression brightened.

"Really?"

Monkasa nodded.

"It’s not Advanced yet."

He flexed his fingers.

"But it definitely stepped up another level."

Victor was genuinely happy for his friend.

He gave Monkasa a warm smile.

They continued toward the dueling platform.

But before they reached it, a familiar voice called out.

"Good morning, boys."

Both turned.

Monkaster stood beside the arena.

His hands were behind his back.

His expression was calm.

"I hope you’re ready for another day of battle."

Victor and Monkasa looked at each other.

Both wore the same slightly pained smile.

Then they nodded.

Victor stepped toward the platform.

His opponent was already waiting.

Rank 70.

Victor stopped several feet away.

He studied the fighter.

This was different from the previous four days.

The opponents would be stronger.

A grin slowly spread across his face.

He wouldn’t be forced to fight every opponent using only his fundamentals anymore.

Now he could combine everything Monkaster had taught him with his techniques.

Victor walked forward.

He extended his hand.

The opponent shook it.

Victor stepped back.

Then bowed.

His opponent bowed in return.

For a moment, the arena was completely still.

Victor lowered his stance.

His muscles tightened.

Spiritual Energy began circulating through his body.

A familiar excitement surged through him.

After five days of being beaten down by pure martial arts...

He could finally use his techniques again.

Victor’s grin widened.

Let’s see how much stronger I’ve actually become.

His opponent moved.

Victor moved at the same time.

The two dashed toward each other.

And the fifth day of battle began.