10 Be like Mike!
------------
[You spent $200,000]
[Skill: Mr. Beast Activated]
[You earned $400,000. Random Bonus 125x]
[50,000,000 have been deposited into your account]
[Error: Earning cap is full]
[You will not receive this earning due to your earning cap of $100,000,000.]
------------
"You got to be kidding me" I cursed the system.
[Apologies Damon, as your liquid cash has achieved 100 million dollar, you will not receive your earnings. You will have to upgrade your system fast or spend more money.]
This system has got to be the worse.
Whatever, let's leave it at that.
I didn't know what was going on with Mr. Long inviting me all of a sudden, but I must prepare myself for the worse.
I picked up the phone and dialed Mark's number.
Mark and I grew up together in Lumen City. When I was just 15, he had already become a champion boxer.
He had always been a talented fighter, and his strength and stamina were unmatched. Even though we were friends, Mark was a bit of a loner, and he rarely hung out with anyone outside of the ring.
"Hey, Damon, what's up?" Mark's deep voice boomed over the phone.
"I need a favor," I replied.
"What kind of favor?"
"Can you teach me how to box?"
Mark was silent for a moment.
"Boxing? Why would you want to learn boxing?"
"Because I have a feeling I might have to use it," I said.
"That sounds a little crazy, but if you're serious, then I'll help you. Come by my gym tomorrow morning, and we'll get started."
"Thank you, Mark."
"No problem, Damon. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight,"
With that, the call ended.
I decided to head to bed early, as I would have to train early in the morning.
However, as I lay on my bed, thoughts raced through my mind. What if Mr. Long is too strong for me to handle?
I have no choice but to rely on the system and upgrade my stats as much as possible. As for the marriage, I'll have to wait and see how it turns out.
I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
The next day, I woke up bright and early. I ate breakfast and headed out to Mark's gym. The drive was short, and soon I was pulling up to the gym.
I parked my car and went inside. The gym was filled with people lifting weights and doing cardio.
I spotted Mark working with a client on the bench press. I waited until the client finished his set, and then approached Mark.
"Hey, Mark, thanks for helping me out."
"No problem, Damon, let's get started. Do you have any previous experience?"
"No, I don't," I said.
"Alright, then we'll start with the basics."
Mark began teaching me the basics of boxing. He showed me the proper stance, footwork, and punching techniques.
After an hour of learning, we began sparring.
"Don't worry about hurting me, Damon. I can take it," Mark said with a grin.
I put on the boxing gloves and began sparring with Mark.
"Wow, Damon, you're pretty good for a beginner," Mark said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Thanks, Mark."
It seemed that upgrading my dexterity and strength stats was definitely a good idea.
I was able to land several punches on Mark, and he was impressed by my improvement.
"You're a quick learner, Damon, keep it up."
"Okay Damon, let's see what you've got." Mark said as he got into his fighting stance.
I took a deep breath and rushed at him. I threw a couple of punches, but Mark dodged them easily.
"Your technique is good, Damon, but you need to be faster. You can't rely on strength alone," Mark said as he landed a punch to my jaw.
I stumbled back, surprised by his strength.
"Shit," I muttered as I rubbed my jaw.
I guess that my stats wasn't enough to handle a pro fighter like him.
"Come on Damon, focus!" Mark shouted as he dodged my punches.
"I'm trying!" I shouted back as I swung my right fist towards his head.
Mark ducked and threw a punch at my chest, knocking the wind out of me.
"Damon, you're not moving fast enough! You need to anticipate my moves and react quicker."
"I'm trying my best!" I said, annoyed with his criticism.
"Try harder, or I'll knock you on your ass again."
I took a deep breath and got back into the ring.
I had to be faster and anticipate his movements better.
As Mark approached, I focused on his feet and watched as they shifted. I knew that he was going to throw a punch, and I ducked just in time.
Mark stumbled forward, and I landed a punch to his ribs.
"Good job, Damon!" Mark shouted as he rubbed his ribs.
We continued to spar for several hours, and I slowly started to improve.
[Ding!]
[Skill unlocked: Iron Mike Lv 1]
[Iron Mike: Increase your strength and speed for a limited amount of time.]
"Nice, another skill," I said.
"What?" Mark asked, confused by my words.
"Nothing, Mark." I chuckled.
"Here we go!" I shouted as I rushed towards Mark.
My movements were faster, and I dodged his punches easily.
"Wow, Damon, you're moving faster than before!" Mark said, surprised by my improvement.
"Thanks, Mark, I'm feeling stronger too."
Mark threw a punch at my face, but I ducked and punched him in the gut.
Mark stumbled back and clutched his stomach.
"Let's see how you handle this..." Mark said with a smile on his face.
He rushed towards me.
I tried punching him, but he kept moving around and jabbing me.
"Ah enough of this shit!" I cursed as I landed a punch on Mark's nose.
"You're really going all out, aren't you?" Mark chuckled as he dodged my attacks.
"Yeah, I'm tired of being knocked on my ass every time! I'm not going down without a fight."
I threw another punch at Mark, but he dodged it and hit me with a counter-attack.
"Ouch!" I cried as I stumbled back.
I was getting tired, but I couldn't give up now.
I took a deep breath and rushed at Mark again.
I threw a punch, and he dodged it. I quickly followed it with another punch, and this time, I managed to hit him in the jaw.
"Wow, Damon, you're getting better by the minute. I think you've got it," Mark said, impressed by my improvement.
I'm still pissed that it didn't even faze him. I guess there's levels to the sport of boxing and this was a very humbling experience.
"Thank you, Mark, for teaching me."
"No problem, Damon, you're a natural boxer," Mark said.
"Come by again tomorrow same time," He continued.
"Sure thing, Mark."
As I left the gym, I felt a sense of pride swelling up inside me. I had never been good at fighting before, but thanks to the system and Mark's training, I was starting to get the hang of it.
I got into my Porsche and started it up, it startled Mark.
"Holy shit, Damon, when did you get a Porsche? And how much money do you have?" He asked.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I'm rich now," I said with a chuckle.
"Wow, Damon, I always thought you were struggling to make ends meet," Mark said.
"Actually, Mark, I wanted to ask you something," I said.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Do you have an account where you deposit your earnings?"
"Yeah, I have an account, but I don't understand why you would want to know about it."
"I just want to send some money to you for teaching me how to box, and I don't know if you would take cash or not."
"Oh shit! nah Damon, you don't have too mate."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes, I'm sure. we're friends, and you don't need to pay me for helping you box."
"Okay, Mark, but if you ever need any help, let me know. I'll be happy to help you out."
"Thanks, Damon, I appreciate it. See you tomorrow, man," Mark said as he walked away.
As I drove home, I thought about the skills I had unlocked. The Iron Mike skill could come in handy in case of a fight, and the Intimidation skill could help me intimidate someone who had ill intentions towards me.
The next day, I went back to the gym to train with Mark. We sparred for several hours, and I was able to improve my technique and speed.
"You're really improving, Damon! Keep it up," Mark said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Thanks, Mark, I owe it all to you."
As I was leaving the gym, Mark called out to me.
"Hey, Damon, I have an idea," he said.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Why don't you enter a boxing tournament? You're getting better by the minute, and you might have a chance of winning."
"Wow, Mark, that's a great idea! I'll definitely consider entering."
"Good luck, Damon, I know you can do it!"
"When is it? Do you know anything about it?"
"Yeah, it's in two weeks. They hold it every year, and it's a big deal in the city. It's not too late to enter if you want to."
"Alright, Mark, I'll think about it and let you know," I said as I headed to my car.
As I drove home, I thought about Mark's suggestion. Entering a boxing tournament would be a great way to test my skills.
I pulled up to the Emerald Tower and gave the key to the valet to park my Porsche.
As I walked up to my door, I saw a package waiting for me.
"Huh, what's this?" I said to myself.
I picked up the package and opened it. Inside was a beautiful tuxedo and a note.
"Mr. Ashburn, please wear this tuxedo to Mr. Long's dinner party on Friday night. Thank you for accepting his invitation."
It was from Mr. Long's secretary.
Well, it looked like I had a lot to prepare for.
I entered my apartment and sat down on my sofa.
I opened up the system and saw that there was a new mission available.
-----------
[You have a new mission]
[Mission]
Boxing Tournament: Win 1st Place
[Reward: 10 EXP and Master boxing]
-----------
***
AN: Please leave a comment or feedback, thank you for reading!
I'll try to update this story as much as possible, so please stay tuned!
Sorry if there are plot holes, I'm learning as I go :)
