28 Yauheni Ivanov, Intense Training!

Andrei exited the car, still on the phone with his Dad, and then told him that he could go ahead and close the garage door. The door closed just as silently as it had opened, Dan was a little curious about this but decided to keep his questions for later. He knew that he would probably be undergoing some kind of training regime. He also knew that Andrei's dad had something to do with it. Let's check my current stats, they've probably increased a lot at this point.

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Stats:

Vigour: 68

Sapience: 64

Deftness: 63

Constitution: 70

Luck: 41

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System, how close am I to achieving the requirements for the system evolution?

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8.2/10x Original Strength

3.1/5x Original Speed

Required Vigour: 72

Required Deftness: 70

Required Constitution: 72

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I'll probably meet those requirements very soon, what with the training I have ahead of me. What I'd consider intense training will probably seem like child's play soon. After Dan exited the car, he told F.R.I.D.A.Y to deactivate 'Stealth Mode,' and locked the car immediately after that. He then followed Andrei through a door, and into a Spartan-style kitchen, furnished with only the necessities.

That was when a man who looked quite similar to Andrei walked into the kitchen too. He looked to be around 25 or so years older, he wasn't as tall but was slightly bulkier. Dan could already tell that this man was dangerous, his outward demeanour seemed relaxed, but he was clearly cautious. "You must be Dan, Andrei has told me about you the last time we met. You don't match the physical description that he gave me though. A lot must have changed since then.

Since my son has brought you along, you must be in some kind of trouble."

"Hello sir, yes, my name is Dan, Andrei brought me here because I unintentionally made enemies with an organisation called The Hand. I was doing my usual workout routine in the park, and some guy dressed like a ninja tried to sneak up behind me, but I was able to hear him. After provoking him into enough of a rage, he attacked me with a knife, I dodged to the side. His momentum made him trip over a bench, and he hit his head, knocking himself out."

The man, who Dan was pretty sure was Andrei's Dad, took in a sharp intake of breath. "The Hand you say? They would definitely take offence if one of their operatives allowed himself to be provoked and knocked himself out while trying to kill you. To them, it's humiliating, they're known for their near-perfect success rate in carrying out any operation. So when some nobody takes down one of their men without even touching him, they'd probably want to make you disappear.

Well, you along with everyone you know and love, anyone who could potentially have any leads after your disappearance would be in danger. It was a good decision on Andrei's part to bring you here. The Hand won't find you here, I can promise you that. But, Andrei has probably told you about the training you'll have to undergo while you're here. You'll be fighting against people who specialise in a variety of skills. 

Those core skills include: Martial Arts, Close-Quarters-Combat (CQC for short), Assassination, Weapon Mastery, Parkour, Espionage, Stealth, and Tactics. Those are just the main fields of expertise, with many specialising in more niche areas of each core skill. We are an unofficial taskforce that isn't bound by any form of government. Our job is to maintain balance and order in society, and like The Hand, you won't see us out in the world, except when we want you to see us."

Dan had been expecting that Andrei's father would have some kind of background like this, but he wasn't expecting something of this magnitude. "Andrei, I now understand what you meant by having your own secrets. This is insane!"

"I was expecting you to react like this to be honest, I knew that I'd have to tell you one day, but not like this. Now you know what's in store for you. You'll be starting with the weakest member of the taskforce, and work your way up to the strongest. I've only made it around 40% of the way through myself, but my skills are probably rusty by now. I'll also be joining you, but I have a feeling that you'll overtake me in no time.

Do keep in mind however, just because someone is viewed as the weakest, that doesn't mean you should underestimate them."

Dan sighed, "Alright then, let's get started. Wait, what's your name by the way?"

The man smiled briefly before answering. "Yauheni, leader of this unofficial taskforce, you probably won't be fighting me for a while though."

Yauheni directed both Dan and Andrei towards the elevator. Once they stepped inside, he took out a Walkie Talkie and spoke into it. "This is Yauheni speaking, this is code A49TB2, I repeat, this is code A49TB2!"

Andrei noticed Dan's confusion and quickly cleared things up. "That's just the code used to announce that someone is here to go through the recruitment process."

Yauheni nodded appreciatively in Andrei's direction. Once they arrived at the 25th and top floor of the building, he took the both of them to an unmarked door, and led both of them inside. Dan saw that the walls were lined with combat-wear and equipment, and Yauheni took an XL size one and an XXL size one off the wall. The XL was for Dan, and the XXL was for Andrei. System, please give me the details of everything here.

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Combat-wear:

Tactical black combat boots.

Flexible and durable black cargo pants.

Lightweight, moisture-wicking black tactical shirt.

Kevlar vest for protection.

Fingerless gloves for dexterity.

Equipment:

Tactical belt with various pouches for carrying gear.

Combat knife with sheath.

Compact flashlight for visibility in dark environments.

Communication earpiece for team coordination.

Handgun with holster and spare magazines.

Basic first aid kit for emergencies.

Grappling hook for mobility in urban environments.

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Dan pointed at the grappling hook whilst giving Yauheni a weird look. "There are several floors below the ground floor, some of which have large areas with basic urban-style environments. And before you ask, yes, we are also supplied with official Stark Tech like that car you own. I may be the leader, but I am by no means the strongest member of this taskforce, you'll find me on the ground floor."

Andrei gave his Dad a weird look this time. "That's not what you told me!"

"I didn't tell you because the circumstances weren't as urgent. Dan, each opponent will tell you what equipment you'll need for the first 10 floors, after that, it's up to you to decide."

Dan nodded in understanding, and Yauheni sent them on their way before going back to the elevator. Dan and Andrei slowly walked towards the first room which was simply labelled '1'. They both entered the room and quickly spotted their opponent. He wasn't wearing much equipment, but Dan quickly noticed the brass knuckles he was wearing. He quickly pointed this out to Andrei who nodded in thanks and he looked a little more cautious.

"Welcome to room 1, you won't be needing any equipment, this is an unarmed combat scenario, however, your opponent won't care if you're unarmed. Before we begin, please give me a rundown of your situation, I already know about Andrei, what about you? This room is wire-tapped so that everyone else will hear what you have to say."

Dan took a few deep breaths, he was already nervous, their very first opponent was using brass knuckles, he knew how much those could hurt, he'd been punched with them in school. The bullies used to pick on him for the usual reasons, and a few of them also wore brass knuckles. "My name is Dan, and I made an enemy out of The Hand."

The man faltered for a moment, "Ok, I was not expecting that from you, now I know the seriousness and won't be holding back against you. Which of you would like to go first."

Andrei was the first to step forwards, he turned to Dan. "I'm allowed to give you a few hints here. Your only goal is to land a hit on your first opponent, all future opponents will require a knockout or surrender condition."

Andrei took up a boxer's stance,, and his opponent did the same. The other man was the first to attack, aiming a well-aimed right-hook towards Andrei's ribs, he couldn't reach his face after all. Andrei danced backwards, effortlessly avoiding the strike before punching the man's left cheek as he attempted to land another hit. The man staggered backwards slightly, but that was it. "You pass, now it's your turn Dan."

Dan readied himself, he hadn't been any kind of fight apart from his earlier encounter at the park. He had also learned the basics of Angela's fighting style, but that was about it. He's only the first opponent and he's already out of my league, I can only rely on my 200x adaption, my fighting style will also evolve 200x faster. You've got this Dan. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes, the man's fist was inches from his face.

(A/N: This is where Dan's 200x boost will really come into play. All factors are boosted by that amount here, so if he dodges once, it's as if he's practiced dodging 200 times. If he attempts to land a punch that misses, it will be as if he's practiced 200 times in order to lower the likelihood of him missing again. Finally anything activity practiced for up to 1 hour, it will be as if he's practiced for 200 hours. I hope that this explains things well enough.)

Longer chapters will be the default for a while. I've already become accustomed to writing shorter chapters, and I wasn't that tired from writing those 2 longer ones yesterday either.