My Pro Boxer System

My body had already begun to show many small changes. I now had a lean figure with well-toned muscles. 

A little over a month ago, I stood at 5 feet 7 inches, and now I was 5'11". My facial features had changed a lot too; my jawline was now well-defined. The ache that once scarred my face had completely disappeared, leaving me with clear, smooth skin.

I took off my shirt and stared into the bathroom mirror. The first thing that greeted me was chiseled abs and a well-developed chest. My shoulders were broader, and my arms had gotten bigger. I was on par with most of the athletes at my school.

These types of growth spurts and changes weren't normal. The system must have been influencing my body's development.

I stepped onto the scale to check my weight.

[146 pounds, not bad. You've gained 26 pounds in a little over a month.]

"Will that really be enough?" I asked, feeling a bit uncertain about everything.

[You're worrying about your match. You're scared that you'll lose and have to face the punishment.]

"I'm scared that I will be punched in the face. Fighting… it's not my thing."

At first, I was fine with the boxing match, but as the days rolled on, a sense of uneasiness settled in my chest. The thought of stepping into a ring with another human being, intending to punch each other bloody, scared me.

[...]

I was left in silence. Alexa didn't mutter another word, which told me I had to figure this out for myself. I would have to overcome my fear somehow. I would have to accept that going into this match meant I would get hit. With a sigh of resignation, I stepped into the shower.

I felt a knot in my stomach as I dragged legs to school. The whole thing felt dreadful. Alexa kept quiet the whole time. I felt as if she was giving me a choice: either go through with the fight or face whatever punishment the system had in store for me.

To be honest, I was weighing my options. For the past month, I had grown to love boxing as a fan, not as an actual fighter. I had grown accustomed to the training, and a part of me actually liked it, but still… I was attracted to the thought of becoming a boxer, not the actual process.

The day passed in a blur; my mind was too preoccupied, so I didn't get the chance to focus on my classes. During class, Cassian and the others in the boxing club carried on as usual. I began to wonder if the captain had told them that I would be fighting today. Maybe the captain had even forgotten himself.

If that was the case, then my fate would already be decided, and I would have no choice but to face the punishment from the system.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of classes for the day, I packed up my things and headed to the training room. Only the captain, Lucian, was there when I arrived; it seemed he hadn't forgotten after all.

He leaned against the ring, reading a book. He didn't look up, but somehow he knew I was there.

"You came early… good," he said in his usual stout manner. "Just wait until the others arrive; they'll be here any minute now."

The two of us waited quietly until everyone arrived. The first person to enter the room was the manager, Ivy. She ignored me like a fly on the wall and went to Lucian. The two of them whispered to each other, occasionally shooting glances at me.

Not long after, some more members of the club joined, and then Cassian and Ken arrived.

"Lonely-kun," he called out, and before I knew it, his arm was draped over my shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

Just then, Lucian closed the book he was reading with a firm clap. The sound caught everyone's attention before he even started speaking.

"Listen up, everyone. There is an important matter we must discuss."

"What is it?" a club member asked.

"There is someone who wishes to join our club, but since the first years are in the middle of acquiring their boxing licenses, we can't afford to train a new member."

"So just turn them away," one of the upperclassmen suggested.

"We can't do that. This person already has knowledge of boxing; we could be losing out by dismissing them."

The club members whispered among themselves, wondering who this person was, but since I was the only one there who didn't belong, their eyes naturally turned to me.

"Liam, are you the person my brother is talking about?" Ken asked, his face scrunched up in confusion as he stared at me.

"No way! Lonely-kun!" Cassian shouted, his voice amused.

"To solve this problem," Lucian continued, "this person will have a one-on-one match with one of our members."

The room was immediately flooded with whispers as the club members began to talk among themselves. My heart felt as if it was beating out of my chest, but Lucian wasn't done yet.

"If the person chosen to fight against Liam loses, then they'll be kicked out of the club and Liam will take their place."

Immediately, the room erupted into an uproar.

"You can't be serious!"

Lucian quietly watched them react to what he said. The news came as a shock; being kicked out of the club just for losing a match sounded ridiculous. Some of them began to stare at me as if they were sizing me up.

Lucian waited until they all quieted down before he turned to look in my direction.

"Cassian," the name alone left everyone speechless. "You'll be the one fighting against Liam."

"Huh?! You're joking, right?" he said, disbelief crossing his face. "You expect me to fight him?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Ken spoke up. "You're doing this so that Liam understands that there is no hope of him joining our club, no matter how much he loves boxing, right? But Cassian is a bad example for that—he has no restraint. Ultimately, it will look bad on us if he ends up injuring him."

"If you have a point, get to it," Lucian said coldly.

"Let me fight against Liam. That way, we won't face any backlash from this."

Lucian stared at him in silence. It looked as if he was deep in thought, but just then, Ivy spoke.

"Ken is right. You know Cassian's fighting power already; if the two of them get in the ring, there is a high chance this first-year will get injured, and we'll have to pay the price for it. If Ken fights instead, then at least we can get rid of this mess gracefully."

One thing was for sure: none of them thought I would win. All they cared about was that my loss didn't cause an even bigger mess.

"I've already made my decision," Lucian said firmly. "Cassian will fight."

Both Ivy and Ken didn't utter another word; instead, they quietly accepted it.

"Alright, man, if that's what you want, I'll fight him, but don't blame me if anything happens," Cassian said, making his peace. "There is no way I'm getting kicked out of this club."

"I assume you're alright with everything, Liam?" Lucian asked me.

I nodded, and we began our preparation for the match. Lucian approached me and handed me a pair of gloves and a helmet before asking,

"What kind of boxer are you?"

"Oh, I'm an outboxer. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just trying to figure out the type of shoes to give you."

"Does it matter?" I asked.

"Yes, it does. Shoes for outboxers have leather on the bottom, so it's easy to slide around the ring, while infighter shoes have rubber at the bottom so they can plant their feet easily."

Thinking about it, I realized I had never worn proper boxing shoes or a helmet. Lucian looked at me suspiciously for my lack of knowledge.

After finding the right fit, I put on the boxing shoes and helmet and entered the ring. My boxing gloves and helmet were red, while Cassian's were blue. Cassian wore a serious expression on his face; just the mention of getting kicked out of the boxing club was enough reason for him to take this match seriously.

I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself. My nervousness was slowly subsiding. I focused all my attention on the opponent in front of me. I took my stance with my left hand across my ribs and my right hand up to my chin.

Cassian took a different stance, with both hands up to his face as he slouched his back.

He's an infighter!

"This match will have two rounds consisting of two minutes each. Fight!"

Cassian's words were like a gunshot, forcing us to act, but just then…

+-----+

SPECIAL TASK:

You must not get hit at any time during this match.

Penalty: Loss of system

+-----+