CHRONOS SYSTEM

*Ding* *Ding*

"Get ready for an ass-kicking session, shrimp!" Marcus taunted as he rushed forward, his fist aimed directly at Kealin's face.

"Master, defend!" Chronos's voice rang urgently in his head.

Kealin's instincts kicked in just in time. He crossed his arms and managed to block Marcus's attack, but the experienced fighter wasn't done. Marcus immediately followed up with a continuous barrage of punches, each one driving Kealin back step by step.

"C'mon, shrimp! You gonna fight or what?" Marcus growled through gritted teeth as he delivered a devastating right kick to the side of Kealin's face, sending him stumbling to the edge of the ring.

Before Kealin could recover, Marcus launched into a crescent kick aimed at his head.

[HP: 80%]

"Damn!" Kealin cursed, the impact ringing in his ears.

"Master, you have taken a fatal blow from the opponent," Chronos warned with what sounded like genuine concern.

"Yeah, I noticed," Kealin replied through gritted teeth, wiping blood from his lip.

"Quit playing around, shrimp!" Marcus shouted, his patience wearing thin. He started throwing multiple punches in rapid succession, a relentless assault designed to overwhelm his opponent.

Kealin felt his legs beginning to buckle under the pressure, his vision starting to blur from the continuous attacks.

[HP: 60%]

[You have taken multiple hits from the opponent. Would you like to use your mana to increase your stats?]

[Yes]

[No]

Immediately, the holographic screen appeared before Kealin's eyes. Without thinking, he outwardly screamed, "Yes!"

[Please choose the stats you would like to increase:]

[Strength]

[Agility]

[Endurance]

[Speed]

[Intellect]

"Huh?" Marcus was about to throw another punch at Kealin when the teenager suddenly screamed "Yes," leaving him completely dumbfounded. But Marcus didn't let up on his attack, thinking his opponent was just panicking.

"Master, I suggest you increase your speed, agility, and strength," Chronos advised with a sense of urgency in his voice.

"Alright!" Kealin responded, focusing his concentration.

[Strength: 10% (+5)]

[Agility: 5% (+5)]

[Speed: 10% (+5)]

Suddenly, Kealin felt a strange sensation envelope him like a warm wave. His thoughts became crystal clear, and his actions more precise and calculated. It was as if someone had turned up the brightness on the world around him. He could clearly see Marcus's fist moving in slow motion and read every subtle shift in his opponent's stance.

"Move to the left," his mind whispered.

"Right hook coming!"

"Roundhouse kick!"

Kealin's thoughts and actions were now perfectly synchronized, like a well-oiled machine.

Marcus threw a right hook at Kealin, but this time it missed completely. Kealin sidestepped smoothly and delivered a sharp counterpunch that pushed Marcus back several feet.

"You little..." Marcus snarled, clearly caught off guard by the sudden change in his opponent's abilities.

Kealin didn't give him time to recover. He launched into a fluid combination, delivering a precise roundhouse kick that connected with Marcus's jaw, causing blood to appear at the corner of his mouth.

"Cross!"

"Left kick!"

"Front kick!"

Kealin moved like a ballet dancer, painting the ring with his amazing footwork and technique. Every move was executed with perfect precision and timing, causing the onlookers to watch in stunned silence.

"Who's that kid?"

"I don't know!"

"Have you seen him before?"

Whispers filled the air as everyone kept asking, "Who's that kid?"

But they weren't the only ones that were surprised.

"Um, Max, you seeing this?" Axel said, his eyes widening in complete awe as he watched the transformation happening in the ring.

"Sugoi!" Max breathed, unable to tear his eyes away from the fight.

[T/N: That's Japanese for cool]

"I guess all it took was one fight and now he's a pro," Max muttered, clenching his fist so tightly that the veins on his arms were clearly visible. He had always considered himself a genius and an expert when it came to martial arts, but here was a rookie who had just surpassed him in ways he couldn't even comprehend.

"Just you wait, Kea-kun. I'm not gonna lose to you," Max thought to himself, a determined smile slowly spreading across his face as he watched his friend's incredible performance.

Inside the ring, Marcus was barely holding his own against the transformed Kealin. His confidence was rapidly crumbling as he realized he was facing someone far more skilled than he had anticipated.

"What's up with this kid? One minute he's a weak shrimp, the next minute he's an expert... Damn!" Marcus inwardly cursed himself. If he had known Kealin was this strong, he never would have challenged him in the first place.

Marcus desperately threw out a jab, hoping to catch Kealin off guard, but Kealin was ready for it. He grabbed Marcus's arm with lightning-fast reflexes and delivered a crushing elbow strike to his lower abdomen. As Marcus doubled over in pain, Kealin released the arm and followed up with a powerful uppercut that sent his opponent staggering backward. He finished the combination with an explosive roundhouse kick that sent Marcus crashing to the mat.

The audience fell completely silent for a moment before erupting into thunderous cheers.

[Congratulations! You have defeated your opponent.]

[You have been rewarded 5 mana points.]

[MP: 20]

"Well, I'll be damned," someone in the crowd muttered in amazement, echoing the thoughts of everyone who had witnessed Kealin's incredible transformation.