26 days until the E grade Advancement Tournament.

Head’s turned from inside the Pitsanlok fighting gym as Jay walked along the iron barrier fence. The death of E grade’s best fighter was big news, and he’d undeniably played a part in it. Jay looked out for Aolio’s distinctive figure through the poles. Luckily, he didn’t spot any two-foot-tall silhouettes inside.

Jay paid the extortionate entry fee and scouted out the available rings. Far from the entrance, in one of the rings closest to the manor house, a crowd gathered to watch a round of sparring. Jay walked over, catching glimpses of the fight within.

Catching glimpses of his next opponent.

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Fox whipped his axe downwards, wildly grinning as he embedded it into his opponent’s shield. His opponent twisted, wrenching the axe’s handle from its wielder and lunging forward with his spear.

It pierced straight through Fox’s stomach.

He didn’t seem to care.

Fox grabbed onto the spear, wrapping his axe-less hand around both the weapon and the man holding it.

His opponent pulled back his spear. Fox had other plans. He yanked himself forward, dragging the spear through his body until it shot out drenched in blood.

Fox swung his second axe forward, perfectly in range, unable to miss his rooted opponent.

He twisted the blade at the last second, smashing the axe’s blade into his opponent’s cheek instead of decapitating him. Fox’s poor opponent let go of his spear and slammed into the ground.

He pounded a bloody fist into the gravel, refusing to look up at Fox.

At least you’re not dead mate.

Jay heard more than a few breaths let loose as he squeezed his way through the audience. Most of the crowd were unshaken by Fox’s finisher, but Jay heard a few holy shits muttered beneath their breaths.

Fox ripped the spear out of his abdomen, painting the front row of spectators crimson. They retched and turned away while the watchers behind them laughed at their expense.

Fox’s bested opponent had got up by now, the wound on his face was already stitching itself together.

Jay remembered his crunched ribs reforming themselves after Zara had pounded them with her hammer. The Pits’ healing factor was no joke.

It paled in comparison to whatever the hell Fox had going on.

Jay spotted the man’s intestines for a fraction of a second before a blanket of muscle weaved over them. Cable-like fibres layered and latticed themselves around his body, rapidly reforming Fox’s gut.

It didn’t even leave a scar.

Essence of regeneration? Reconstruction?

Jay walked up to the ring.

Boxing couldn’t take him to the peak of the Second Chance Coliseum. It probably couldn’t get him past E grade.

Jay had known that since his very first fight. But over the last two weeks Jay didn’t have time for long-term thinking. He needed to survive.

Now he had twenty-six days to play with.

Jay had walked into the pits with two fists, an open mind, and a shield he had no idea how to use.

Before him stood a man who knew a thing or two about adapting to a new arena.

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“Jay! Nice to see you! You’re late!” called Fox. With the crowd gone and his opponent departed, he sat with Jay on the bench beside the empty ring.

Jay wasn’t late at all. He was actually half an hour early.

He’d intended to practice for a bit before their meeting. It seemed Fox had beaten him to the punch.

“If you say so mate.” Jay laughed; Fox’s enthusiasm was almost infectious. Jay nodded at the man’s stomach. “I knew this place could heal you, but I didn’t think it was that effective!”

“No that’s just me!” said Fox, slapping his belly twice for good measure. “Essence of the zombie. Means I can keep moving forward in battle! You said you needed some help?”

The zombie… does that mean this planet has zombies?

Does that even matter?

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Yeah, I need help adapting my style. I thought you might be able to help?” Said Jay. “I’ve changed how I box, and even learned how to kick, but I don’t think it’s enough.

Jay had expected Fox to smile or laugh, especially when he mentioned kicking, but his cheerfulness gave way for a sharp and calculating stare. He gently nodded, scanning the other fighting rings for a few seconds before settling on Jay.

“What do you want to adapt?”

Jay thought for a moment, half hoping Fox would ask a more specific question.

What do I want?

“I need to be more ruthless. Boxing is built of a foundation of rules that no longer apply to me, my style needs to reflect that. I need to go beyond punches and kicks, and I need a way to create openings for when a quick first step isn’t good enough. I still don’t want to use a weapon, but that’s a lot harder here than back home.

“Then there’s the shield. I can’t get it to work yet, but I’d love to use it to create unique angles. Gotta get there first though, I don't even know how it works yet.”

Fox nodded, thinking for a moment before replying. “Want to be more ruthless? Fight more. It’s that simple. Sparring is good, but there’s no intensity. You can still take fights with a frozen visa. Keep fighting until the arena feels like home.”

Fox’s buried enthusiasm resurfaced with an eager smile.

“I don’t know about your shield, but I think I can help your opening problem… You were small for your weight class, right? Usually weaker than your opponents?”

“Yeah, I was undersized but made up for it with footwork and speed.”

Fox began laughing as he walked into the ring and waved Jay after him. He cracked his neck and turned to face Jay. The friendliness hadn’t left his smile, but Jay could see past it. Beneath Fox’s cheerful grin lurked the sadistic delight reserved only for people psychotic enough to dedicate their lives to fighting.

“Time to learn how to clinch.”

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“Try and escape.”

Fox’s fingers pressed into the base of Jay’s head, pushing it downwards. Jay resisted, but it took all his strength just to stay upright.

Fox’s clinch looked and felt completely alien to Jay. He stood upright, locking his hands behind Jay’s head and pressed both elbows into Jay’s shoulders.

Jay activated Eye of the storm. His mind narrowed in not just on his body, but how Fox’s every move affected it.

Jay tried brute force first. He knew it wouldn’t work, but wanted to see how Fox would counter it. Jay reached for his chest, but Fox shifted both his elbows inwards, blocking Jay’s angle. Jay grabbed them, but he wasn’t the only one attacking.

Fox yanked Jay forward, folding him over with the sudden acceleration. Jay’s head rocketed towards the ground. Fox’s knee rushed towards him. From his compromised position, Jay knew he couldn’t escape by retreating. He drove his shoulder into Fox’s chest and pushed forward.

Jay’s plan worked, for about half a second.

The sudden shift pushed Fox back, Jay dropped his head further, using the half inch of space he’d created to lean right and squeeze out of the clinch.

He slipped free, right into the path of Fox’s other knee.

Fox stopped his attack before Jay had the chance to block it. He stepped forward and wrapped his hands around Jay’s neck again.

“In boxing, the clinch is purely defensive, right?” Said Fox. Effortlessly holding Jay in place as he tried to wriggle free. “Your hands are tied up, so you can’t punch your opponent.”

He slid his elbow inside, firing it at Jay’s chin, stopping just before it landed.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t attack.”

He wrenched Jay’s head sideways, raising his knee to meet it there and tapping Jay’s temple. He pulled Jay back upright, landing another elbow while he regained his balance.

“Try and stop me.”

Jay tried.

But inside the clinch he was powerless.

Eye of the storm helped him defend, but there were too many angles Fox could attack from. Jay would block an elbow, only to open space for another. When Jay locked up his opponent’s arms, Fox used his knees, either tapping his ribcage or driving through his solar plexus.

When Jay was fully focused on protecting his upper body, Fox shifted gears.

Jay blocked an elbow to the head before stifling another as his opponent adjusted his grip. Jay smiled. He was beginning to get the hang of grappling and wasn’t being tossed around anymore.

Fox smiled back.

Immediately after another failed elbow, he slammed his foot into Jay’s calf. He effortlessly swept it aside, while simultaneously dragging Jay’s head down with it and pushing him to the floor.

Fox held out his hand, and Jay let his opponent haul him up.

“If you want to survive advancement, there's two ways you can go about it.” Fox let Jay’s hand go and held up two fingers.

“Number one: Improve. Just get better at everything. That’s not too helpful, so let’s think about number two: Specialising.

“If you don’t use a weapon, you’ll lose every single long range fight. You’ll lose every single mid-range fight, and you’ll probably lose most close-range fights too. What does that leave? Ultra-close-range. Don’t give them space and don’t give them time. If they’re not used to grappling they’ll freeze up.

“It makes closing the gap easier too. Just charge forward and figure it out when you hit them!”

Fox slapped his belly and let out a hearty laugh. He shook off the intense focus he’d shown while sparring, and a kind smile returned to his face.

“It won’t work against everyone. You won’t get far clinching someone with a dagger, but it’s a useful tool to have. Especially if there’s a flying shield whizzing about and drawing their attention away.”

A clinch… Ezekiel couldn’t swing his sword if I got in that close, and Amaya can’t make any puppets if I’ve got her arms locked up. Plus, the Conqueror’s fists are almost made for clinching. The blades are perfect for close range slicing.

“Let’s go again.” Said Jay, massaging the muscles around his neck.

In the ring, Jay had relied on his eyesight and ring sense to spot opportunities. In the coliseum, he used Eye of the storm to enhance them.

But Jay realised he couldn’t do the same in the clinch. It didn’t matter how fast his eyes were, they weren’t the best tool for the job. By the time he saw an attack coming, it would have already hit him.

Jay noticed something while grappling with Fox. Before, he’d thought that his stormforged body only had improved coordination. It was far more than that. Just like his commands travelled instantly and flawlessly to his body, the same thing happened in reverse. Every inch of skin pressed against Jay gave him a deluge of information, far more than his eyes could ever convey.

Jay didn’t just watch the ultra-close-range battlefield. He felt it.

Every fighting second gave him more information.

More experience.

Jay raised his forearms and lunged at Fox’s neck. Fox caught his wrist. Jay felt each individual fold of his fingerprints press into his arm.

His eyes sparked electric blue. But Eye of the storm wasn’t limited to them anymore.

The azure glow shot down the white hairline channels on Jay’s arms, lighting Fox’s fists from within.

Jay smiled as he felt his perception technique begin to evolve right in front of him. He twirled his wrist, escaping Fox’s grip and clamping down on his forearm.

“And this time stop going easy on me.”