My Pro Boxer System

I never expected him to be here, considering that it was club hours now.

Lucian wore a cool expression on his face. His hands reached for the pair of boots in my hand to take a closer look.

"Captain Lucian," I mumbled, startled by his sudden appearance. "I never expected to see you here. Isn't it time for after-school clubs?"

"Hmm? Yes, I came here to buy something."

He didn't spare me a glance as he inspected the shoes further.

"These are no good," he mumbled. "I understand the urge to buy the cheapest gear you can find, but it won't be worth it if you end up spraining an ankle."

"Yeah, you're right, but… I don't know much about buying good sports gear."

"In that case, I'll help you pick something out."

He placed the shoe back on the rack and picked up another pair. It was a plain red running shoe, but the material felt much sturdier than the one before.

"These are the ones I wear when I'm doing my road work. I bought them in my first year of high school, and it's still the pair I wear even now."

Not knowing much about running shoes, the first thing I checked was the price tag. Luckily, it was just below my budget. I sighed in relief, happy that I didn't have to bear the embarrassment of putting it back on the rack.

"Thank you, Captain Lucian."

"It's no big deal. Well, I didn't get what I was looking for, so I guess I'll head back to school."

"Wait a second!" I stopped him in his tracks just as he was about to leave. "I actually wanted to speak with you about something else."

He raised an eyebrow, a little suspicious about what I wanted to discuss.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"It's about joining the boxing club. I know that last time you said you weren't looking for any new recruits, but I'm really interested in joining."

He adjusted his glasses, which were slipping down his face.

"I'm sorry, Liam, but it would be detrimental for us to take on any new recruits. Right now, the newbies who joined this year are looking to get their boxing licenses. For that, our coach has to put in extra effort to ensure they are good enough to obtain it. Asking him to train another newbie from scratch… it's impossible with everything we have going on right now."

"But that's the thing; you don't have to worry about training me."

His eyes suddenly turned sharp. I froze. For the first time, I found his demeanor intimidating. At that moment, I no longer saw him as the kind upperclassman who wore glasses; it was like he had turned into someone else entirely.

"Are you saying you already know how to box?" he asked, his eyes sharp like a hawk's.

"Y-yes. I do know how to box."

The captain looked at me in silence. He watched me without saying a word for an awkward couple of minutes. My eyes wandered around the store, trying to find an escape. For a second, I considered forgetting about the whole thing altogether and accepting the punishment from Alexa, but just then he spoke up.

"Are you free next Wednesday, by chance?"

Next week Wednesday? That was in a week's time.

"Yes, I am available."

"Good. Come to the training room then; I'll see what I can do."

"O-okay then. Thank you."

He turned to leave but stopped in front of the store exit.

"And one more thing… prepare for a boxing match when you arrive."

With that subtle bombshell, he left the store, strolling down the hall of the mall like a gentle giant.

[It looks like you'll be having your first boxing match. You'll need to take your training a lot more seriously.]

Sigh.

"I hope it's not with him."

A little dejected, I approached the cashier to pay for my shoes, then went downstairs to leave the store. When I got back to the first floor, my sister was still there. She was by herself this time, standing next to the entrance.

"You waiting for someone?"

She didn't see me approaching and let out a startled yelp in surprise. Then her face flushed red as if I had caught her in the act of something embarrassing.

"L-Liam! What are you doing here?"

I raised the shopping bag I had in my hand.

"I came here to buy something."

Her gaze locked onto the bag, and a frown appeared on her face.

"Something like what? A new game?"

"Something like that."

She didn't take my answer kindly, as her expression grew even more suspicious. She was practically breaking her neck trying to see what I bought. I had to change the subject quickly.

"You want to walk home together?" I asked.

After a moment of staring at me in silence, she finally answered.

"Sure. Do you want me to hold onto that for you?"

"No, it's fine."

When we got home, my sister basically collapsed on the couch, and I went upstairs to my room. I decided to take this moment to complete my basic training, so I pulled the golden key out of my pocket and stuck it in the door. I heard a snarky giggle from Alexa as I was about to open the door but I ignored it, thinking it was her usual antics.

I stepped through, and to my bewilderment, it wasn't what I expected. The first thing that hit me was the cold, followed by a strong gust of wind.

"What the hell is this?!"

I crouched down on the ground, my heart pounding as my breath grew ragged. I suddenly felt lightheaded, as if I was going to pass out. For some unknown reason, I was suspended above the clouds on a platform made of glowing glowing tiles below my feet.

I crawled over to the edge to take a look, and I couldn't even see the ground from how high up we were.

"What is this?!" I shouted to my coach, who stood expressionless, and to Alexa, who was wrapped from head to toe in thick furs.

They were standing on the other side of the platform, but even from so far away, I could tell Alexa was smirking.

"What is this place?!"

My coach walked slowly toward me, his feet echoing ominously against the tiles. He looked down at me, still crouching on the floor, his eyes as cold as ever.

"Today, you will be learning proper footwork," he finally said.

"No shit! So why the hell are we suspended so high up in the sky?"

"My job is to train you as a boxer, by any means necessary. At times, that means your life will be put in danger."

"So how the hell is this different from a punishment? The way I see it, wouldn't I be better off facing the punishment of not doing the daily quest than doing whatever this is?"

"You really want to test that out?" Alexa shouted from a distance.

"Get up," the coach said in his usual uncaring manner, but this time it sounded more like a threat.

I glanced around at the clouds floating in the sky and the birds flying just below the platform. I felt the cold wind on my face, and that's when it truly sank in…

This is real!

They are messing with me; I just know it. They must think I'm some plaything that they can do whatever the hell they want with. Well, screw them!

"Let me guess, the only way for me to escape this damn place is either by falling to my death or completing whatever bullshit training this is supposed to be," I spat, unable to hold back the bitterness laced my voice.

"That is exactly what will happen." Alexa said clapping her hands in an attempt to mock me. "Bavo to you. And also this is not a punishment, it's cause and effect—you fall, you die. Also bear in mind, the longer you choose to give the floor your affection the longer you'll be here."

She had a cold look in her eyes. A look as if she was staring a a mere insect. I steadied my breath to calm myself then slowly got to my feet.