Chapter 64: Good Night
A blue sky stretched across the horizon, like a blue blanket with white clouds scattered
throughout. The yellow wheel of fire cast a warm light between the clouds, illuminating the world below.
A gentle wind blew across the Navy Town, making the leaves rustle and the flags wave in the breeze.
Most of the citizens were dressed in muted blues and grays, blending in with the colors of the town. All wore light clothing appropriate for the warm, summer-like day.
The students, after leaving the school for the day, headed to the town with their friends; they were seen everywhere. Some hanged out in the arcade, while others wandered through the shops and cafes.
On a two-way street, Alice and Adam walked side-by-side, ice cream cones in hand, enjoying the warm weather.
"Mortal Online seems like a crazy world." Alice said and licked the ice cream. "A few of my classmates apparently tried, but they couldn't make it through the tutorial."
"Haha, yeah, it isn't wise to rush to play Mortal Online." Adam said. "That's why most of those who make it through the tutorials are older than twenty years. Those who are younger usually fail the tutorial."
"Why's that?" Alice asked curiously.
"Who knows." Adam shrugged his shoulders. "It's just a theory, but maybe it requires a certain level of patience and maturity to succeed."
"Mm." Alice nodded in understanding.
At that moment, they heard the sound of grunting and fighting. They turned to a three-floor dojo building, shaped like a 3D triangle, with a sign that read "Karate - Dojo" hanging above the entrance.
Young men and women were practicing their moves inside. Those who entered seemed to be students, as they were dressed in similar-colored clothing as Alice.
"Quite a few from my school are going to that dojo." Alice said with a slight smile. "Have you ever tried it, Adam?"
"Karate?" Adam asked.
"Yeah." Alice giggled. "Did you know that you can go there and challenge them for fun? The master of that dojo approved it as it helps them to recruit talented new students and allows their existing students to test their skills against new challengers."
"Hmm, should I go try?" Adam asked with a smile.
Alice's eyes brightened, and she then giggled. "Go on, but if you lose, I don't know you~"
"Ouch, I guess losing is out of the question." Adam handed her his ice cream cone and then stepped through the entrance with her.
They saw a crowd gathered around a stage, cheering and clapping. There was already a sparring match ongoing, with two people battling each other fiercely.
Most were dressed in white, with only a few exceptions scattered throughout the group who had seemed to come check it out.
Also, at the stage, one of them wore casual clothing. He seemed to have come here for the same reason as Adam: to challenge the karate practitioners. He was clearly losing and struggling to keep up with his skilled opponent.
After a short while, the challenger fell down on his back, defeated and exhausted.
"Alice, is that you?"
Alice and Adam turned to a handsome, blond-haired young man who was slowly approaching them. He had a well-toned body and a confident smile on his face. He also wore the same white clothing as others, with a black belt adorning his waist.
"Markus," Alice said with a slight smile.
"I didn't expect to see you here." Markus said with a clearly excited expression, but then turned to the young man beside Alice and asked, "Who's this?"
His eyebrow jumped in curiosity, and he scanned the young man from head to toe. He didn't look impressed. His body seemed untrained and lacked muscles.
"This is Adam." Alice said with a blushing smile, "He is living with me and my family."
"Oh, so he's the one..." Markus rubbed his chin and smiled. "I am Alice's classmate, Markus, did you come here to watch?"
"Actually, I came here to challenge, that was allowed, right?" Adam asked to make sure.
"Oh." Markus nodded and asked suspiciously. "Any Martial Arts experience?"
"A little," Adam said with a chuckle.
"Oh, you do?" Alice looked surprised.
'A little, probably meaning a few minutes.' Markus scoffed inwardly. 'His body is untrained; his fists look soft and weak. Is he trying to show off in front of Alice? Sad, he will lose within a few seconds.'
"Alright, you can be the next challenger." Markus said, then looked to the second floor of the dojo. "I'll go have a word with the master; he'll approve you. What's your name?"
"Adam Palestar." Adam replied and stretched his limbs, making them ready for the upcoming fight.
Markus engraved the name in his mind, then bowed and headed to the second floor.
"Are you really ready?" Alice asked, starting to feel nervous. "I hope I didn't pressure you into doing this."
"You weren't." Adam rubbed the back of his neck. "I wanted to try this, anyway."
At that moment, a white-dressed person entered the stage. He had a blue belt, a clean-shaven face, and a lanky body. He was relatively tall, and he looked like another student.
"The challenger, Adam Palestar!" A voice came from the speakers. It was a very powerful and firm voice.
The crowd looked around, wondering who the challenger was, as it wasn't one of the regular challengers. Some times, those who were practicing different martial arts came regularly here to challenge themselves against karate practitioners.
"It's your turn; good luck!" Alice said nervously. The ice cream cones in her hand were
melting as she forgot about them completely.
"Thanks." Adam stepped through the crowd, who let him go past, and then stepped onto the stage. He wasn't unhealthy looking, but everyone could see that he wasn't training in any
martial arts.
At the second floor's office, a bald-headed man looked to the stage with a frown.
"Hmph, what is this, Markus?" He turned to Markus and said, "Why did you bring this
amateur here?"
"He wanted to challenge the dojo, so I gave him a chance." Markus said with a chuckle. "If he loses, maybe he realizes just how powerful karate is. Perhaps he wants to become your
student."
"He is too old to start karate." The bald-headed man said. "Most of my students have been practicing since they were five years old."
Markus chuckled and looked at the stage with a smirk. 'Alice has been talking about him quite often in the school. I had high expectations, but this is very disappointing. Alice has really bad
taste.'
"Are you two ready?" A referee, who was also a student of the dojo, asked the two.
"I am." Kuro bowed respectfully and then moved to his fighting stance-it was a very simple stance-his right foot and hand were forward, his left foot and hand back-clearly focusing on his right side and his dominant hand.
Adam put his right foot forward and left foot back, then put his hands in front of him; they
were open with fingers curled in a relaxed manner.
"Fight!" The referee shouted and swung his arm down.
Without a single hesitation, Kuro rushed in and threw a right straight punch. He wanted to
attack straight away and finish the match as soon as possible.
At that moment, Adam grabbed Kuro by his wrist before his fist could reach him and twisted
his hand, forcing him down on one knee.
"W-what?" Kuro groaned in shock, his knee crashing against the floor.
The crowd's eyes slowly widened in shock.
"Good night." Adam did a single middle-knuckle punch right into Kuro's temple.
Kuro's eyes moved to the back of his skull and he lifelessly fell to the floor, not moving an
inch. There was a clear dent around his temple, where the middle-knuckle punch landed. "That's!" The bald-headed man stood to his feet, "Aikido!"