Chapter 2: Practice

To pay off debts, the Nishizuka family was forced to sell their detached two-story home and the land. They ended up renting this relatively cheap, old apartment, found through an agent.

It was an older apartment building, but the surroundings were actually quite decent. Although the apartment was clearly designed for the Danchi era, with small-sized units and aging hardware, everything else was basically fine.

“Speaking of which, apartments in residential areas like this, so close to the station and convenient for transport, shouldn’t be this cheap. Plus, it’s quite spacious…”

Of course, the rental apartment couldn’t compare to the Nishizuka family’s original house, but it was still quite large for a rental.

After putting his things away, he sorted the rubbish and bagged it all up in trash bags.

“Mother Motoko might come back late tonight. Looks like I should buy some groceries to put in the fridge.”

He remembered there was a convenience store nearby. Fang Jing planned to head there, hoping to also get familiar with the area nearby.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to quickly adapt to this environment, to settle into the life of this young man named Nishizuka Tsukasa.

It couldn’t be helped. His own experiences defied common sense.

Even if he tried explaining his situation to anyone else in this world, they’d probably think he was insane.

But he knew he wasn’t crazy. The memories of his life as “Fang Jing” were real. They were the one thing he could hold onto.

Suddenly, he remembered something. He picked up that small, wooden Buddha statue he had seen earlier.

“I’ll ask the landlord where this statue came from…”

He had no idea what the origin of the Yin Energy within the wooden Buddha statue was. Finding out was necessary.

In the game “Peerless Fate,” Growth Value was a reward earned by completing tasks. How could there be a way to obtain such “Growth Value” in reality? It was originally just game data… But the changes happening to his body now couldn’t be dismissed as mere data.

“…Did you hear? Room 405 got rented out again.”

“Oh my, how awful! How long did the last family stay?”

“Less than three months. You know about that room…”

The two women vaguely heard footsteps coming downstairs and immediately stopped talking. Especially upon seeing the unfamiliar young man descending, they clamped their mouths shut tightly.

For an instant, Fang Jing noticed the look in their eyes. An unmistakable flicker of fear and unease colored the expressions of these two ordinary women.

“…What did that mean?”

Unexpectedly, Fang Jing sensed something troubling in their exchange. They seemed to have mentioned “Room 405.” Could that be the room he was living in now?

Eh! Come to think of it, the address plaque’s number was “405”. Was it really referring to his apartment…

Oh well. The cheap rent was a good thing, at least. Fang Jing didn’t believe in ghosts or spirits, so he didn’t pay it much mind anyway.

(Besides, what piece of land hasn’t had someone die on it? Renovate it, put up a building, you can live there just fine.)

Thinking this, he yawned and continued downstairs.

Reaching the ground floor, he saw the landlord, Mr. Yuasa. The older man was holding a broom, humming a tune while sweeping fallen leaves and debris into a pile near a metal drum.

“Good day, Mr. Yuasa?”

“Oh! You must be the new tenant, young Mr. Nishizuka! What do you think? The place isn’t too bad, right?”

“Mhm! It’s alright. Thank you, Mr. Yuasa.”

“Hahaha, it’s nothing!”

“Speaking of which, Mr. Yuasa, I found this in the apartment. It must have been left behind by the previous tenant…”

Fang Jing took out the wooden Buddha statue and held it in his hand.

“This thing. Does Mr. Yuasa recognize it?”

In that instant, the landlord’s demeanor changed. A flicker of something dark, like menace, flashed in his eyes. The kind smile vanished from his face, leaving it expressionless. His voice was flat when he asked,

“Where exactly did you get this thing…?”

“From the apartment. Is there a problem?”

Fang Jing was certain something was wrong now. He started to say something, but in the next second, Landlord Yuasa was calm again. He smiled.

“Hahaha, to be honest, I don’t recognize it. But it probably wasn’t left by the last tenant.”

He laughed it off and scratched his head, acting like the ordinary, kindly, harmless middle-aged man he seemed to be.

Then, abruptly, his hand shot out and snatched the wooden Buddha statue from Fang Jing’s grasp.

“Right then! I’ll take care of this properly.”

“Okay.”

Though inwardly suspicious, Fang Jing let nothing show on his face. Calmly, he turned and made to leave the apartment grounds.

Just as he turned away, he caught a glimpse of Landlord Yuasa tossing the wooden statue into the nearby metal drum used for trash. The man’s face twisted into an expression of disgust as he lit a match and set fire to it along with the other garbage.

A bright, orange flame flared up inside the drum.

– Definitely, not normal.

Without a word, Fang Jing quietly left the apartment grounds.

————————

Not far from the apartments was a park. Even around five or six in the evening, there were hardly any people around.

Standing on the deserted patch of ground, Fang Jing clenched his fists. Leaning against the lamppost, a sense of restless energy stirred within him. He felt his body could move with fluid readiness at any moment.

“I never practiced martial arts before… Who would have thought that in this world, I’d end up learning it because of this…”

The Gōjū-ryū Kenpō he had acquired was one of the four major original styles of Karate, a quite famous fighting art. Provided the histories of both worlds were similar in this regard, this should be accurate.

“Yep, no problem at all!”

He took a deep breath, coordinating it with his movements. Step by step, punch by punch, he flowed through the fixed movements – the katas – of Gōjū-ryū Kenpō. The fundamental patterns of Karate.

The kata – the basic forms of Karate. But for all martial arts, foundation is the cradle of everything.

Even the most fundamental techniques were the product of long evolution. The coordinated movement of punches and kicks, guided skillfully through the breath, meticulously exercised every inch of muscle. It was forging a solid base, honing potential for future growth.

“Shiko-dachi” (Four-Corner Stance), “Chūdan-zuki” (Mid-level Punch), “Nukite” (Spear Hand), “Kake-uke” (Hook Block)… Without pause, he transitioned between different stances and techniques, forming a continuous sequence. Executing the movements, Fang Jing felt they came naturally, smooth as flowing water from start to finish.

After completing the sequence, he exhaled a long breath. Wisps of white vapor emerged from his skin – steam from exertion. Through effective exercise, his muscles continuously released heat, every single muscle fiber fully engaged.

A deep sense of satisfaction, pleasure, and profound contentment washed over him.

“Huh! The progress level for the Gōjū-ryū Kenpō foundation has also increased ever so slightly.”

He ceased his movements and focused his mind on the progress bar for the “Myriad Transformations” Fate Fragment skill.

The bar, which had been utterly still at 0%, now showed 0.01%. This meant training could increase progress. Skill proficiency could yield tangible feedback.

“Seems like training alone would take ages, though… That Yin Energy might be able to speed things up…”

The problem was, where could he find more of that Yin Energy?

He noticed the sky was getting dark. He decided to head back home. He’d pick up the groceries from the convenience store on the way.