Arthur

Tylem had called Emily during lunch to inform her that he would be attending an after-school club, and she had been ecstatic to hear it. In her mind, this was how one's childhood was supposed to go!

Oddly enough, Emily had not been worried when he told her that it was to train in Kyokushin, a dangerous martial art. Of course, this was because she had seen Tylem's capabilities: some middle-school students would be no problem at all.

Furthermore, it was good for a young man to train in hand-to-hand combat. The world was dangerous, after all. It would be useful to defend one's self against a possible madman on the streets.

Lynne, herself, also attended a club. It was a badminton club, and she was a massive enthusiast for the game, which emphasized on control more than anything.

Generally, Lynne would be at the club every day after school. Tylem's first day at school was an exception.

Feeling depressed because of their argument, she had not been in the mood to go on that day, so she had come along with Tylem and Emily back home. Furthermore, it wasn't a necessity to be there every day.

In Ivla, the school classes came to an official end at 5 pm, and the clubs generally ran until 7 pm. However, the teachers would often remain to supervise until late at night.

Ivla's security team, however, would remain present at all times. These guards were all former special forces or decked-out veterans from the military.

To be a guard at Ivla, one needed to have a very reputable and trustworthy background built from many years in the forces. The benefits and wages were extraordinary. Many dreamed to work at Ivla.

5:30 pm.

"Clut."

Before one of Ivla's training centers, Tylem and Kaden stood at the tall double doors made of glass. Even from outside, the two were able to hear the thunderous bouts and contests that came from within.

"I'm a bit nervous, bro." Kaden awkwardly kept his hand on the doorknob.

"What for?" Tylem smiled. "Everyone starts somewhere."

"There's no need to be nervous, Kaden." Patting Kaden's back, Tylem chuckled.

Laughing, Kaden agreed while pushing open the door, "You're right."

"Hut!"

Tylem was greeted with the sight of two tall male eighth-graders exchanging blows atop a wide-open arena, their high-spirited faces full of sweat. The two were in white karate suits while wearing a head guard and gloves.

To Kaden's surprise, he also noticed Arthur, this self-doubting classmate of his, training in the gym near the black punching bags.

Compared to a week ago, there was a big change to his appearance, his face appeared a lot brighter.

The thick-framed glasses were also gone, which were replaced with contact lenses. To top it off, Arthur had his long bangs trimmed, so his smooth forehead was exposed. It was a new look, and he no longer appeared gloomy.

Rather, Arthur looked like an average middle-schooler. To begin with, he was not thin like a stick nor obese. It was a miracle how much little changes could improve one's looks.

It all began with the motivation to improve, but wholeheartedly carrying out that desire—not giving up halfway—was a different matter in itself.

The classmates of Arthur had noticed this progressive change during the week, but most of them thought that he was being bigheaded and desired to show off now that Colt had settled down in class—no longer bothering others.

Arthur paid those classmates no attention; he would live how he wanted to from now on. If he cared about all the little things, life would become too difficult and complicated.

Regardless, Arthur did not blame them either; he understood his situation the best. Throughout the year, he had built such a shameful reputation for himself; he could not change their firm opinions of him that quickly.

While Tylem and Kaden were watching the two eighth-graders, a very muscular handsome man, who was in his thirties, approached them. The man had a large black mole on his temple.

"Hmm, you're Tylem?" Helios, the Kyokushin head instructor, nodded. "I've heard a lot about you, but here, understand that I will give no special treatment."

Helios was aware of the child's feats, especially the one where he had taken care of Balo, the school's 'strongest' fighter who specialized in Taekwondo, in one blow.

However, since Helios had not seen the fight for himself, the reason for the loss could have been because Balo was too cocky and had been caught off guard. Often, fights between children were like that.

"Yes." Tylem tilted his head, certain that he had never seen this man before. Nevertheless, he had indeed created quite the big tremor in the last week, so it wasn't too unusual that the instructor knew his face and name.

"Great, I'm glad we're on the same page, Tylem." Helios laughed, apologizing, "I'm sorry about the rather rude introduction, but I just had to make sure. In Ivla, it's no secret that there are a lot of arrogant children."

Kaden noticed that Helios was staring at him, so he swiftly introduced himself, "I'm Kaden, sir!"

"Fantastic enthusiasm! I'm Helios, the head instructor. You can call me either." Helios grinned. "Tylem and Kaden, I believe this is your first time coming here, but I hope that you two will find what you desire here."

"You two seem to be interested in those boys." Turning his head, Helios watched the two tall male eighth-graders. "The taller one on the left with the buzz cut is Jaylen, while the other feminine-looking boy is Finlay."

"The two of them competed in the national karate competition, both placing in the top twenty." Helios praised.

Right now, Finlay, who had a much frailer build out of the two, surprisingly had the upper hand against Jaylen.

The fight continued for another minute until Finlay saw an opening, then in an instant, he took the opportunity to deliver a decisive blow to Jaylen, who was still in the motion of launching a back-fist strike.

"Thump."

In one swift motion, Finlay delivered a clean elbow strike to Jaylen's abdomen, but he, with great expertise, controlled his power so that it wouldn't be too painful. This was a great show of control in the heat of battle.

Tylem memorized their movements, closing his eyes he pictured himself doing the same. Beside him, Kaden had an excited expression as he started loudly clapping.

"Nice!" Watching Finlay, Kaden's two rows of white teeth were on full display.

"Instructor, I wish to spar as well." Tylem, having replayed the scene many times, wished to try the moves out.

If Helios knew that Tylem had asked for the spar to test out the new moves he had just seen from Finlay, this head instructor would have been flabbergasted. That type of learning speed was too exaggerated and ridiculous.

Look, he hadn't even thrown a test punch in person yet, alright?

It was illogical. The punching bags existed for a reason—along with the instructors!

Yet he wanted his first practice Kyokushin fighting move to be done in a fight?

From the tiniest detail, Tylem had taken note of how Finlay moved his body, and the way he managed to maneuver himself into a favorable position. Doing his best, he was careful to not miss anything.

"You want to spar, kid? Listen, Kyokushin Karate is a dangerous sport." Helios first emphasized, continuing, "If you're sure about this, we will first need to get you equipped with the standard safety gear."

"However, punches to the head are not allowed." Helios stated the matter of utmost importance.

It was too dangerous.

Truth be told, Helios would never allow an untrained student to get into the arena, but Tylem was a special case. This was the transfer who managed to defeat Balo, the school's strongest fighter.

In truth, he was also quite excited to see Tylem's abilities firsthand.

Thus, he made an exception.

"I understand." Tylem agreed.

"Very well. Kaden, I can't allow you to get into the arena, however." Helios clarified, "Not until we go through the basics first. Your safety is my responsibility."

"Of course!" Kaden raised his hands, laughing, "I wouldn't even dare to, Instructor."

Today, he just planned to watch and get an idea of everything.

In Ivla's training centers, there were instructors other than Helios present. These instructors were providing detailed lessons to the less-experienced students.

"Follow me." Signaling with his finger, Helios went down the training center with Tylem and Kaden.

Minutes later, Tylem returned while wearing the headgear and gloves.

Helios nodded in approval, while Kaden became excited knowing that he could see Tylem's skills again. It would never fail to impress him.

Pressing the gloves against each other, Tylem began to get used to the feeling.