Chapter 10

[You have slept in your bed! HP and CP fully restored!]

Ando opened his eyes, read the notification, and dismissed it.

For once, he did not feel like getting out of bed. He just lied there, thinking about what had happened to him. The events of the previous day replayed vividly in his mind, and he involuntarily let out a tired sigh. Under the sheets, his clenched fists shook with frustration.

How had he managed to get his ass whooped by children, twice in a row?

One had to know that, despite his looks, he was still a grown man. Yes, he had crossed over into a new world and started over, but technically, with his knowledge and wisdom, he should be leagues above his peers. And yet...

Ando felt angry and humiliated. The first time, he could attribute it to a surprise attack. It happened out of nowhere, and he naturally lost the advantage. It didn't help that his opponent was almost twice his level. Even though it was frustrating, he could accept it.

But in his second fight... Ando had seized the opportunity. He had learned from his first fight and moved ahead of his opponent to direct the flow of the battle. But he still lost as soon as the other started fighting back. A toddler, the same age as him, and without the support of the gaming system, had owned him.

Sure, he could argue that the kid had the backing of a clan, was probably trained since the day he was born, and was level 11. But still, he was not a gamer. He was not a reincarnated soul, and even worse, he was hit in the back.

All in all, Ando thought that their respective advantages would even out, which was why he dared to fight the other kid in the first place.

He should have known better…

For all his trouble, all that Ando got from those two fights was a meager sum of 10XP and a bad beating.

An ugly frown made its way onto his now-healed face. Ando took a deep breath and decided to stop mulling over his defeat. It only served to further sour his mood. What he needed to do now was to train and find a way to get stronger quickly.

He got out of bed and did not forget to fold his blankets, despite his mood. He took a sniff at his clothes and wrinkled his nose; the stench of his clothes was getting unbearable. Still, he opted against changing them. He would first train and then find a way to take care of the hygiene problem later.

Ando glanced outside the glass windows and saw that it was still dark outside. The scene was shrouded in deep, inky darkness, with only the faintest hints of light beginning to emerge. It was right before dawn. His roommates were still snoring like babies. Looking at them, his frown eased up a little. It was probably thanks to those two that he made it back into his room the previous day. He could not think of anyone else who would have had the generosity to drag him back to his room.

Ando would remember it.

He walked out and headed towards the training yard. He glanced at the place where the Inuzukas usually trained and saw that it was empty. Still, he decided against heading there. Even though getting beat up would award him some XP, he was afraid of getting knocked out and missing a day at the academy.

Ando headed towards the orphans' place and started his daily exercise. He was the first one there, but gradually, the others started showing up. Still, he did not pay them any heed and kept going. It was only when Chika showed up that he stopped.

"Hello, Chika!" he greeted the young girl, doing his best to smile. The brunette nodded at him and was about to go on and do her own thing when she stopped. She looked at him once again with a surprised expression.

"How the hell did your face recover so fast?" She got closer and leaned in towards him, but then quickly scrunched up her nose. "Dude, you need a shower. You stink!"

Ando's smile, despite his efforts, slowly slipped away. Still, he had a favor to ask the girl, so he just shrugged it off. "I'll do that once I'm done with my training. But... I was actually hoping that you could help me train... once again."

Chika crossed her arms and looked at him with a playful expression. "What's wrong? Tired of getting beat up already?"

"Yeah." Ando did not deny it. "I was actually hoping you could teach me how to fight. Of course, I'm not asking you to do it for free. If there's anything you need, you can tell me, and I'll find a way to compensate you."

This was the solution that Ando came up with to overcome his hurdles. Unlike the clan kids, he did not have clansmen who could teach and spar with him. But it was not like he was completely left to his own devices. He had his fellow orphans. He just hoped that they would be willing to help him.

Chika furrowed her brow, carefully weighing the request. In ordinary circumstances, imparting a few lessons to Ando wouldn't pose any problem for her. However, the situation took a different turn considering Ando's penchant for provocation. From their brief interactions, it was apparent that her underclassman was no conformist; he seemed more inclined towards mischief. In short, he was a troublemaker. And getting associated with someone like that might bring her more trouble than it was worth.

But… she felt sorry for him.

Frankly, he was not the only victim of bullying in the academy. They, as orphans, were usually targeted, just because they did not have someone to stand up for them. No backing, and no clan to shelter and push them in the right direction.

Chika thought back to the times when she herself had been a victim, and her heart softened.

"Tell me about how you recovered from yesterday's beating first."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Ando was already prepared for that question. He pulled a nervous expression on his face and scratched his cheek. "Actually, I don't know. But I've noticed that I somehow always feel refreshed after a good night's sleep."

Chika arched her brow in interest. "Is this some sort of Bloodline Limit?" she muttered with a pensive look. "Are you sure you don't belong to a ninja clan?"

"A blood what?" Ando's fake confusion was deployed in full force.

"Ah... I forgot you were a freshman. It's some sort of family power thing that's overpower." Chika briefly explained the concept to him, and Ando acted like he was really interested in the subject. He swore he could feel his proficiency in acting skill instantly grow.

"Maybe? I don't know. I've always lived in the Bright Orphanage for as long as I can remember."

"Hmm, interesting..." Chika lightly tapped her chin, seemingly in thought. Then she nodded her head as if coming to a conclusion. "I'll teach you."

"Really?" Ando looked at her in surprise.

"Yeah. Of course, you'll have to pay me. And you will owe me a few favors. But in exchange, I'll teach you what little I know." Chika nodded. And then grinned at him. "How about 100 Academy Points per month? Can you afford it?"

Ando's mood instantly soured. 100 Academy Points was basically his monthly income. But again, this was a third-year student offering to teach him. Currently, he had no urgent need for AP. With that in mind, a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

"I can afford it!"

"You don't do things halfheartedly. I don't hate that." Chika grinned. "Let's find somewhere else to train. I don't want to get these guys involved in our matters."

Ando looked at the other orphans and nodded. He followed Chika towards the back of the third-year dormitory and headed towards the trees at the back. "From now on, meet me here at dawn every morning."

"Got it!"

Chika nodded and started doing some stretches. "We'll start with a spar to see what level you have."

She cracked some joints and got into a stance. "Come at me when you're ready."

Ando did not need to be told twice. He looked at Chika's stance and considered mimicking her. But then the impulse to just jump in headfirst won over. He started running towards the girl and threw a right punch. Chika calmly swatted his fist away, opening up his front for a counterattack. But she did not attack; instead, she lightly poked Ando in his lower abdomen.

Chika then leaned back, dodging Ando's follow-up attack, a wild swing of his left fist. She casually moved her foot forward and tripped the boy. She watched Ando roll onto his back and try to transition his fall into another attack. But she countered him with a light kick to the chest.

"I think that's enough," Chika declared.

Ando stopped trying to fight back. He slowly got up from the ground and dusted his clothes, awaiting Chika's judgment.

"I find it wonderful that you're not afraid to fight. I think that's the only thing that truly sets you apart from the other first-years," Chika started. "You're not afraid to get hurt, which makes you prone to taking the initiative in a fight."

"But... you don't know how to fight. You brawl," she sighed. "Fighting isn't just about throwing punches and hurting your opponent; it's about strategy and awareness. Finding the way to bring down your enemy by exchanging and adapting to them."

"When you attacked me earlier, I could see a lot of problems with your forms. You overextended. You did not correctly use your momentum, and a lot more. But I think the most urgent thing to correct is how you go about fighting."

"Think of a fight as an exchange. You can't rush in headfirst like you did. Contrary to what you may think, that's not seizing the initiative; that's the opposite. You expose your weaknesses to your opponent first, giving them the opportunity to counter and direct the flow of the fight. You have to observe, plan your move, test your opponent, and strategize."

"So far, you're with me?"

Ando readily nodded at Chika. What she said made sense to him. Actually, he felt like he had been enlightened. To Chika, this may be a quick way for her to grab some AP, but to Ando, this was opening a part of the world that he had never ventured into.

"Alright, since we've got that down, let's try again." Chika adopted her stance once again. And Ando tried to copy her, bringing an amused smile to the girl's face. "We'll work on your form later. For now, let's see if you have the ability to strategize."

Ando nodded attentively, observing every nuance of Chika's stance. Her feet were firmly planted, striking a balance between stability and maneuverability. The left foot led, slightly forward, while the right positioned itself a bit back. Rather than sitting upright, Chika maintained a slight squat, revealing her readiness for swift action.

His focus sharpened as he noticed a subtle shift in Chika's left foot. The sole lifted off the ground, the point pressing down – a prelude to an imminent attack. And then, with an almost imperceptible motion, Chika closed the gap between them in an instant. Ando could see the calculated progression, her body serving as a conduit to seamlessly convert rebound force into a precisely aimed fist.

The punch halted just an inch from Ando's face, and he felt the brush of displaced air against his skin. Suppressing a shudder, he realized he hadn't even managed to react.

"You did well," Chika praised. But Ando did not think the praise was sincere. All he did was stand there. He could not even move!

Chika chuckled when she saw the unconvinced look on his face. "I mean it."

"What just happened was the result of you observing me. Trying to read my stance and predict my move. And that's exactly what you should be doing!"

"Unfortunately for you, you have not conditioned your mind to respond. There was no instinctual response. There was no follow-up, no action planned for how you were going to react to the information you were collecting. This is the first time you've attempted this, so naturally, you couldn't react even though I approached you at a slower pace."

"But! You did well nonetheless. We can consider that you have learned the first lesson!" Chika proudly declared with a smile. Ando looked at her somewhat prideful expression and could not help but smile in return. Chika was... incredible, he thought. She spoke and acted like she understood him, understood his level of intellect.

And he loved that.

Ando could see it in the way she easily managed to explain and impart her knowledge. Ando had lived in a world where education was a must. He had seen his fair share of teachers. As such, he was qualified to judge Chika. Not only was she proficient in her subject, but she also knew the right way to teach.

She was not a simple orphan.

That was Ando's final conclusion.

But that was fine with him. The more incredible she was, the better it was for him. As for her origins and secrets, he didn't care. Ando put those thoughts to the back of his mind and formally bowed to the girl. It was a token of both his gratitude and respect.

"What are you doing?" Chika asked, feeling both confused and amused by his action.

"Thanking you!" Ando replied, then he straightened himself and grinned at her. "Shall we continue?"

[You have unlocked the skill 'Battle Sense (beginner)']

[Battle Sense LVL 1/20] [1%]

[Battle Sense: Battle Sense is the foundation of a fighter's awareness in combat. It sharpens the user's instincts, helping them perceive an opponent's movements, predict attacks, and recognize opportunities for counterattacks. At its core, this skill enhances the user's ability to read stances, analyze battle flow, and respond appropriately.]

[Increases reaction speed by 1%, allowing the user to dodge or block more effectively based on observed behavior in battle.]

AN: Life has been pretty hectic lately, so the updates may take a little longer than usual. I may even take a few days/weeks of break. But don't worry, it won't last too long. Just enough to figure some stuff out.

Anyway, thanks for reading! And support me on patre0n / RP741