Chapter 38: Chapter 38: The Code, The Contract, and The Boxer
Ethan was still processing the Lux information and internally negotiating the System’s demands for his cleaning staff when his phone vibrated. A message had arrived from an unknown number.
The message read:
"I have vital information for you. I know you won’t believe me when you read this, but the Blue Jay dipped low to the dry lane, fetching the Captain a fresh slice again. I’ll wait for you where your dad always ate when you celebrated something."
Ethan stared blankly at the text.
"What the hell is this, System? Some kind of weird ransom note?" he asked.
But then, the final line hit him, and the rest of the text suddenly made brutal sense. "The Blue Jay dipped low to the dry lane, fetching the Captain a fresh slice again."
"Wait! The Blue Jay... the Captain... the slice! FUCK, that’s what my old man always used to sing!" Ethan shot up. "It was some kind of stupid code or inside joke he used all the time. The ’Captain’ was my grandpa. This has to be about my dad!"
Immediately, Ethan’s mind raced. He had to figure out where his dad always ate when they celebrated a big deal. The memory flashed clear: "Captain Pizza." A greasy, cheap pizzeria, which his father absolutely loved, always claiming he’d closed an important deal.
[Hold up, kid... I don’t mean to burst your goddamn bubble, but are you sure you wanna go meet a stranger? You’re unarmed, alone, and you don’t have the strength or intelligence to defend yourself against a cockroach. This could be worse than suicide, old man.] The System’s tone was unusually serious.
The mystery of his father’s death had always been a sharp shard stuck in Ethan’s heart. It was the only lead he’d ever had.
"I know," Ethan said, his voice flat but resolute. "But this is about my dad. Even if I knew I was walking into my death, I’d go anyway. I need to see this through."
[That’s my boy! Firm and decided! Go on, champ! You ain’t going alone, you’re going with me, and if I have to swallow a whole goddamn self-defense manual for you right this second, I will.]
Ethan smiled at that. That damn virtual bastard was the only family he had left.
He rushed to the bathroom and took a quick shower to wash off the "Victoria scent" he still had lingering. He collected the drenched sheets, threw them in a corner, and went to get dressed.
Halfway to the door, he stopped and turned to the empty room.
"System."
[What? Want a couple of hookers for the road?]
"No. Everything I saw in the Store... is it real?"
[Of course, it is. Everything you saw is as real as your dick and the wallet I just filled up.]
"So, if I buy this, it’s not just some guide book, and it won’t take me ten years to learn?" Ethan started scrolling through the store categories in his mind and stopped at one particular skill:
[Fist Technique: Professional Boxer: Gain the skills of a professional boxer in seconds. Enjoy knocking out opponents without even breaking a sweat, perfect for dealing with thugs.]
[That’s right. It’s not a book or a guide; it’s direct knowledge straight to your goddamn brain if you unlock it. You’ll learn how to fight like a champion in a matter of seconds, even if you’ve never thrown a punch in your life.]
Ethan stared at the skill, mentally checking others. He imagined UFC fighters, boxers... "Maybe I should choose Kung-fu, like in the movies, to look more impressive," he thought. "A little Jiu-Jitsu wouldn’t hurt."
However, the vision of boxing, with those clean, precise, and impressive punches, wouldn’t let him pick anything else. The memories of his father watching boxing on weekends, those monsters moving with grace and finishing each other off, made his decision final. Boxing felt personal.
Without further hesitation, Ethan pressed the button to acquire the skill. It only cost 50 Lux Points
, and he currently had 63.The other combat skills were significantly more expensive, and he definitely didn’t want to buy a weapon. A simple handgun cost 25 points, which was stupid. If he wanted a gun, he could just use his $1 million. Every thug in the city would line up to hand him one or kill in his name. There was no need to waste points on something easily acquired with cash; it was much smarter to get something money couldn’t buy.
The System, reading his thoughts, burst into digital laughter. [Hahahaha! Finally! You’re starting to get it, kid! You’re actually thinking with the right head for once.]
Ethan pressed the acquisition button and felt a cool, refreshing breeze flow into his brain. He clenched his teeth, bracing for the inevitable pain—the screaming, the searing agony he’d read about in cheap web novels. But the pain never arrived.
[Were you expecting pain?] the System mocked, its voice dripping with sarcasm. [I can make the transfer painful if you think it’ll help you, hehe. But this ain’t some budget web novel, kid. Things don’t work that way.]
Ethan just laughed and decided to try throwing a punch—a simple jab. His body moved with surprising lightness. He took a small skip, shifted his weight forward, and snapped the punch out. The movement was incredibly fluid and fast. He instantly flowed into a combination: a quick, sharp jab followed by a powerful cross, shifting his weight perfectly from his back foot. He ducked, then ripped a vicious uppercut that landed with imaginary force. His feet were dancing beneath him, shuffling and pivoting in ways he couldn’t have even dreamed of before. He looked like an expert, launching combinations with brutal, efficient elegance.
But as he finished a complex sequence of bobbing, weaving, and delivering a hammering right hook to the ribs, his body suddenly screamed in protest.
He collapsed to his knees, clutching his abdomen and lower back, gritting his teeth hard. His body was on fire in places he didn’t even know he had muscles.
[Oh, I forgot to mention something,] the System said, its tone smug. [You have the knowledge and experience of a professional boxer—not the physique of one. While I helped upgrade your body, it’s still a training-virgin body. Your mind is forcing it to move in directions it normally couldn’t. So, you might hurt yourself if you overdo it.]
Ethan clenched his teeth tighter and cursed out loud, his voice strained. "You could have told me that before, you jerk! God, that hurts like hell!"