My Pro Boxer System

I lay sprawled on the dusty path, my chest heaving up and down in exhaustion. The gravitational force that had once crushed my body against the ground was slowly returning to normal.

"Wow, I'm impressed," Alexa said, bending over me. "At first, I thought this exercise would be too harsh, but you proved me wrong. You really are the perfect specimen, and your determination makes you all the more fun to play with."

"Well, at least someone is enjoying themselves."

"Is that sarcasm?" she frowned. "I thought you'd be angry."

Watching the sun set in this land that may or may not be Earth, a sense of euphoria washed over me.

"This is no different from a game!" I said, a smile rising on my face.

"Hmm? How so?"

"Well, you try hard, you win, and it feels good."

"What about all the cuts and bruises?"

"What about them? The pain sucks, and a part of me wants to strangle you right now, but otherwise… It feels pretty damn good to win. It was the same on that platform too; in the beginning, I hated it, but after a while—"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, you're a masochist," Alexa interrupted, fanning me off.

She seemed annoyed that I wasn't wallowing in sorrow and self-pity after such a brutal exercise, and that only brightened my mood further. 

"Take a break, then we'll begin with the next exercise," she instructed, walking away.

I chuckled. Her mood swings amused me. She was an enigma to me—a living paradox who couldn't choose the person she wanted to be. She was energetic, childish, cruel, and narcissistic, but there were other times when she showed a little kindness.

As the burning sensation in my body started to dissipate, I got up to do some stretches. That's when a system notification popped up.

[IMPROVEMENTS]

+----+

Composure: 0 → 9

+----+

My composure had increased. What's that supposed to mean? While I pondered what the system notification meant, I started doing some light stretches to alleviate the soreness in my muscles.

"You've changed," Alexa muttered as she used a stick to draw in the dirt.

"I have?"

Apart from exercising every day and learning boxing, I didn't think I had changed much. I'm the same person I've always been.

"You have changed." she continued. "In fact, you change every day. The way you adapt to everything around you is freaky. It's like you're constantly being molded."

"What brought this on? Your analysis of me has never been correct, not once. And besides, from what I've seen, you're the freaky one."

She sighed exhaustively.

"Alright, it seems you're in good enough shape. It's about time we move on to your next training."

I nodded, to which she hopped to her feet and led me to a clearing in the woods. There were piles of rocks stacked on top of each other just below a steep slope.

Alexa's earlier gloom was replaced by pure joy as she spoke about my next punishment.

"For your next exercise, you'll need to bring these rocks up the slope."

I couldn't help but sigh. The slope before me was almost vertical, and judging by the size of the rocks, they looked like they could weigh upwards of 50 pounds.

"Lifting the rocks will help with your upper body strength, and climbing the steep slope will help with your balance. You'll also learn how to properly shift your weight to suit your advantage."

She meant I had no choice but to learn proper balance. If I fell off the slope and one of those rocks happened to fall on me, that would be it for me. The thought left a cold chill that rippled its way through my body. But just like all the other times, I had no choice but to bite.

I moved over to the seemingly endless piles of rocks and lifted one.

"This might take a while," Alexa muttered. "You should've told your family you'd be home late."

"Yeah, I should've."

She was right. My mom would worry unnecessarily.

With both of my arms wrapped around the rock, I began climbing up the slope. I dug my feet into the dirt, my toes clenched tightly to provide balance.

The slope was made entirely of dirt, without any rocks—only small pebbles. My calves grew tired by the time I was halfway up, and the familiar burning sensation returned. Still, I continued to climb my way up the slope and planted the rock firmly at the top.

It took hours for me to carry all the rocks up the slope. My biceps burned so much that I couldn't even straighten my arms without wincing in pain. Blisters had already begun forming on the palms of my hands, and my calves were reddened, with enlarged veins popping out like worms beneath my skin.

I lay sprawled on the ground, my chest heaving from exhaustion. Alexa was curled up beside a tree, covered with the shirt I had taken off. She was sleeping soundly.

Night had fallen long ago, leaving me with only the sound of crickets to keep me company. The night air was cool, and the feel of it was soothing enough to put me to sleep. But before that happened, I got to my feet and woke up Alexa.

She stirred softly before opening her sleepy eyes. Beneath the moonlight, her complexion was as pale as a ghost, but it still held a certain beauty.

"Liam, are you done with your training yet?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"Yeah, it's time for us to go home."

When I got home, I noticed the lights were still on in the living room, so I decided to go downstairs. My mother was asleep at the table, with a meal wrapped in plastic right in front of her. She was still in her nursing uniform.

I made to approach her, but since my body was still sore all over, I ended up bumping into a piece of furniture, startling her awake.

"Liam!" she shouted, her eyes scanning the room until she finally caught sight of me. Her face softened, and a smile appeared. "Welcome home! You must be hungry; I'll warm something up for you."

She grabbed the meal wrapped in plastic and moved toward the microwave.

"Wait, Mom, I can do it. You must still be tired."

She ignored me and continued going about her business. It made no sense to argue, so I sat at the table and waited for her to finish. When she was done, she brought the meal over to the table and sat beside me.

"Thank you, Mom," I said as I picked up the spoon to begin eating.

She rested her elbow on the table, her palm on her chin as she studied my face.

"Is everything okay, Liam? Your sister said you've been acting strange lately and I've noted the same behavior for a while now."

"Thalia," I muttered, shaking my head. "She's always so nosy."

"Don't be too hard on her; she's just worried about her big brother."

"I doubt that's the case."

"She is worried about you," my mother insisted, her face turning stern. "Since I'm always working late, the two of you were the only ones home most of the time; now it's just her. Think about how she feels."

The cold realization dawned on me and I froze before I could take another bite of my meal. My mother was right.

Guilt washed over me as I thought about it some more. I could no longer look my mother in the eye. 

Sigh.

Seeing my downcast expression, she ruffled my hair.

"Try not to be too hard on her, okay?" She smiled warmly. "If you're not certain how to be the big brother, it's okay to act. As long as she feels safe and protected, then it's all fine."

I returned her smile and nodded in understanding.

"Thank you, Mom. I understand." She got up to head to her room, but I had one more thing I needed to say to her but instead of saying what I needed to, the words hitched in my throat.

"M-Mom."

Looking at her smiling face—the face that had gotten me through many hard times—my heartbeat quickened, and my head felt light. My hand clenched as I summoned the courage.

"Mom, I'm thinking about becoming a boxer, and I'm planning to join the boxing club at my school."

I expected a strong reaction from her, but instead, she approached silently.

"Is that why you're covered in dirt and in such poor condition that you can barely move?"

I nodded, expecting her to scold me. She always had a way of making me feel like a child. What would she think? Would she scold me? Would she feel ashamed or horrified? 

Thoughts of how my mother would respond consumed me as my mind ran circles. Her lips parted to continue speaking and my heart beat quickened.

"I can't say I like the idea of you fighting," my mother continued, "but I'll support you, no matter what you plan to do with your life."

"I…" A sense of relief washed over me and I could feel my own pulse begin to slow. "Thank you, Mom."

She pulled me in for a warm embrace. I was drenched in sweat, creating a foul odor, and my mother also had a strong smell from the hospital, but neither of us minded. We hugged each other tightly, feeling each other's warmth.

"You'll always be my boy," she muttered, rubbing the back of my head.

For the next two days, I did the same strength training, coming home late, drenched in my own sweat and covered in dirt. On the third day, the system assigned me no training. Alexa said it was so I would be well-rested for my match.

So for that day, I did nothing but wait—wait until the day eventually came to an end and the day of reckoning arrived.