"A Sigh..."

"To be honest, school is still tiresome, even though I possess most of the knowledge. However, this doesn't allow me to relax more. Nevertheless, the atmosphere still makes me feel young."

A faint smirk played across his face as he exited the school and headed towards home. The atmosphere of students walking home from school evoked a strong sense of nostalgia in him.

"Now, I need to find a job and also verify a way to acquire skills. How should I go about this?"

Lost in thought, he made his way home, traversing street after street. A few minutes after arriving, he left again, now dressed in casual attire.

Drawing from his memories, he set out towards a place where he might find work.

"This is the street of entertainment. There's a high chance I'll find a job here. Through the internet, I've also found several relatively close places where I can test skill acquisition.

One of them is a karate school, though it's not near home. Fortunately, there's a sports center nearby where I can learn something for free. First, I need to find a job. If I can't do that today, it's better to try and acquire a skill. It would be best to gain a self-defense skill to protect myself in situations like those at school.

Moreover, I'm curious if the cheat will work?"

Having thought through his plans, he boarded a bus heading towards the entertainment district.

On the bus, all seats were occupied, with some passengers still in school uniforms. This didn't bother him, as his journey wasn't long.

After three stops, he alighted. Before him stretched a plaza bustling with people going about their business. Just beyond lay a street that seemed to stretch endlessly. Flickering advertisements and faint music permeated the air.

Though evening hadn't fallen yet, the area was already crowded. It was evident that this street was popular among young people, judging by the numerous high school and college students present.

As he navigated through the throng, he glanced around, catching glimpses of familiar faces - his classmates in groups.

It took considerable time to traverse the crowd and visit various establishments. Some places only hired women, while others had specific requirements.

His luck, however, wasn't entirely absent. After some time, he found a suitable place - a small karaoke bar tucked away in a corner, which he finally entered.

Inside, soft music played, and there were no guests yet. As he entered, he beheld a beautifully decorated space, with various colors twinkling here and there. From an aesthetic standpoint, the place was quite charming.

When he entered, only one girl dressed in a waitress uniform was near the tables. At that moment, she was holding a mop and cleaning something from the floor in the center of the room.

The sound of his footsteps must have been quite loud, causing the girl to raise her head and turn towards him.

This elicited a brief moment of amazement from Sora, as she was strikingly beautiful. With black hair, petite stature, bright blue eyes, and a soft face, she had a small mole under her left eye.

"Why are there so many beautiful girls here, especially in such a place wearing waitress uniforms?" he thought to himself.

For a second, he wanted to leave, believing that beautiful girls were the most problematic. However, considering the time he had spent going from place to place looking for work, he decided it was worth a try.

"Excuse me," he said.

"Yes, can I help you?" she responded.

"I'm looking for a job..."

As Sora spoke, he was prepared to leave, as this scenario had repeated itself up until now. However, the other party first showed surprise and then replied.

"We have job openings. Would you be interested?"

"Hmm? Could I learn more about the job before deciding?"

"Yes, of course," the girl said, setting aside her mop and approaching the bar in the corner.

"First, I'd like to ask, can you make cocktails?"

"Ah... I'm sorry, I can't," Sora replied, feeling embarrassed.

"Oh, that's alright. I think handling waiter duties shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

"Yes, that shouldn't be a problem..."

The girl sat on a stool by the bar and continued speaking.

"As you can see, I'm the only waitress here at the moment. Let me explain the situation first."

Noticing Sora's slightly doubtful look, she thought it best to explain things to him.

"To begin with, my name is Hikari Mitsuki. I opened this establishment recently and haven't had the chance to hire staff yet. Because of this, you might be doing more than just waiter work, like what I was doing earlier with cleaning up.

Of course, there will be additional pay for that. So, what do you think about this?"

Listening to the girl's words and seeing how calmly she explained everything, Sora pondered.

"So, you're the owner?"

The girl didn't look particularly old.

"Yes..."

Sora began to think to himself.

"Since there are no other options, and I can earn more here, why not?"

"Well, my name is Sora Kobayashi. Nice to meet you," he said, bowing. The other party did the same in response.

"Nice to meet you too. Now, let's discuss the other details."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

...

Fifteen minutes later, Sora left the karaoke bar and headed towards his next destination. During their conversation, nothing excessive was discussed. Hikari seemed to be quite a serious girl. They talked about the details of payment and working hours. It was decided that he would start at 6 PM and finish work at 10 PM.

By law, he couldn't work more than 4 hours, and work had to end by 10 PM. Hikari herself also adhered to this, and they quickly came to an agreement.

So, he needed to start work from tomorrow. Since school usually didn't extend beyond 5 PM, it would be easy for him to go to work after school.

Walking along the same street, he finally reached another bus stop and headed towards his next destination.

...

It was already 7 PM when he finally reached his destination. It was a huge circular building. Many people were entering and exiting, and around the building was a small park that beautified the place. Walking along the path, he reached the sports center. Based on some information he found on the internet, he learned about the possibility of practicing karate for free at this place.

Since he didn't have any extra money at the moment, this was his only option to get what he wanted. Otherwise, he would have to save money and go to a karate school.

He chose karate because it was the most popular form of martial arts here.

"It's quite powerful, but if you consider that you can use the cheat, the effect becomes extremely intimidating."

Entering the building, he could already see many different people. Approaching the staff, he introduced himself and explained why he was there. In the end, he had to register to gain access to the classes.

Fortunately for him, this didn't take too long. After registration, the staff kindly showed him the way to the karate hall.

It was quite a large space, with a special area in the center that seemed to be for duels. In the corner on the other side were people who appeared to be resting.

With the help of the staff, he also met the trainer, after which he was shown to the changing room.

Soon, he was standing among other people dressed in standard white uniforms with white belts.

"So, we have a newcomer today. First, I'd like to assess his level. You'll perform standard strikes in several sets, and I'll be watching, so don't slack off."

The trainer called Sora over, and they moved to a relatively free space.

He looked quite ordinary, of average height and appearance. At first glance, it was impossible to tell that he was a karate trainer.

"So, what do you know? Have you trained before?"

"No, I'd like to learn from you."

Seeing his attitude, the trainer sighed and began.

"First, I'll show you the stance, then all the strikes."

For the next 20 minutes, Sora imitated the trainer's movements, performing various karate stances and techniques. However, he still couldn't see the appearance of a skill on the panel. In his opinion, this was possibly because the minimum level hadn't been reached.

"Trainer, I have a question!"

The trainer, who was still watching him and trying to correct his stance and accuracy of techniques, looked at him.

"What's the minimum requirement to be considered as knowing karate?"

Hearing the question, the trainer was clearly puzzled by such inquiries. However, after thinking for a while, he spoke.

"In my opinion, the path of karate begins when you understand the basic techniques. And then you need dedication and to correct your movements."

"How far am I from the beginning?"

"You're not far off. Now, perform all the techniques in a row, and I'll tell you."

Seeing his impatience, the trainer could only sigh that teenagers were impatient. To not dampen Sora's motivation, he finally came up with a method and suggested performing the basic techniques he had shown.

Sora began to do so, soon kicking into the air awkwardly, combining various attacks, creating an awkward situation.

Seeing this, the trainer still persevered and spoke.

"You've already taken a step on the path of karate, so the most important things are discipline and strong will, understand?"

Finishing the techniques, Sora was momentarily stunned and didn't pay attention until the trainer finished speaking. Realizing that the other party was saying something, he hurriedly looked at him and nodded with a serious expression.

Immediately, his thoughts turned to the panel before his eyes that appeared exactly when the trainer said the words "you've already stepped onto the path of karate".

[Notification]

[New skill acquired: Karate]

[Initializing skill analysis...]

[The "Karate" skill provides the following effects:

Strike Power: Effectiveness and strength of your strikes.

Speed: Quickness of technique execution and reaction.

Endurance: Ability to maintain a high level of activity.

Flexibility and Coordination: Mobility and precision of movements.

Tactics and Strategy: Planning and adaptation of actions.

Reaction: Quick response to opponent's movements.]

[Initializing skill enhancement.]

[Strike Power: Enhanced 10 times.

Speed: Enhanced 10 times.

Endurance: Enhanced 10 times.

Flexibility and Coordination: Enhanced 10 times.

Tactics and Strategy: Enhanced 10 times.

Reaction: Enhanced 10 times.]

[Skill enhancement completed]

Messages flashed one after another before Sora's eyes, and sounds kept ringing in his head. Finally, it took two to three minutes for everything to calm down. Looking at the skill in detail once more, he felt the excitement growing inside him.

"Hmm... but why don't I feel any physical changes?"

Noticing something, the excitement that had appeared again disappeared. He wasn't sure if the cheat was working.

"Okay, you keep repeating, and I'll go see what they're doing over there."

As he was thinking about whether to check this, the trainer who had been watching him turned his head towards the other participants. After a few words, he left.

"Maybe I should just try."

Seeing that the trainer had left, Sora took a deep breath and threw a punch. He did this without any tension, and it seemed there was nothing unusual. However, only when he pulled his hand back to return to the stance did the effect become clear.

Whoosh...

A whistle was heard in the air, followed by a faint clap. Before his eyes, right in front of him, a small air current formed where he had struck.

"Huh?"

It seemed that at this moment, his reaction speed increased, allowing him to see very clearly what was happening. The formation of the air current, followed by a circle of repelling air, and then the whistle.

He saw all of this very clearly. It seemed the speed of his strike was too fast for the air to remain relatively stable. Looking at his hand, he carefully felt and observed. There were no abnormalities, not even a feeling of pain from such an action.

"It seems this really works..."

Speaking, he immediately focused on others sparring with each other. As he concentrated, they seemed to move in slow motion.

"So all aspects of the skill are enhanced, and my reaction has also increased 10 times. Considering that the average reaction speed is from 100 milliseconds to 200, I now have no more than 20 milliseconds. Not only that, when I struck just now, I clearly didn't use all my strength, yet the speed was already extremely intimidating.

Strength and speed together are even more frightening... this might even cause problems now."

After thinking for a while, he looked at the trainer who was talking with other people and made a decision. Since he had acquired the skill, there was no need for him to stay here anymore. Besides, he needed to learn how to control his newly acquired strength now.

So, without any hesitation, he said goodbye to the trainer, then changed clothes and left.

Although on the way, the trainer also began to encourage him, clearly misunderstanding Sora's situation.

Stepping outside, it was already dark, with streetlights illuminating the area. Due to the sunny weather today, the evening was also clear. Under the bright light of the street lamps and the moon, he headed towards the bus stop.

...

Gradually approaching a tall building, he thought to himself.

"So, when thinking about fighting and intending to use karate, the characteristics activate. If I don't think about it, the state returns to normal. Also, I didn't notice any time limit on the skill's effect. Or maybe I haven't fully tested it yet; it might still have an end..."

With these words, he began to climb the steps and entered the building.

Recalling the experience of testing after getting off the bus, it was clear that he still needed to experiment a lot more with the skill.

On the way, he had tried simply running, but it was just ordinary running. However, when he thought about using the skill, the enhancement effect immediately appeared. His body became light, his running speed incredibly fast, and his maneuverability was also impressive. But he couldn't delve too deeply into this as there were many people around.

Such speed was clearly abnormal; if caught, he might even be apprehended. Although he could now use the skill, he still didn't know if there was a limit to it. Besides, even with the skill, he clearly couldn't dodge bullets.

Ascending in the elevator, he was still deep in thought. Finally reaching the door, he opened it and entered.

Immediately, a voice came from inside the house.

"Where have you been wandering at such an hour?"

His sister, dressed in casual clothes, sat on the sofa in the living room, holding the TV remote in her hand as she looked at him.