Chapter 9

"Are you here to apply for the sparring partner position?" In the spacious room with a redwood style, a short man sat in a large leather chair. He was around forty years old, with a thin face and a stubble of beard that had been recently shaved. Despite his small frame accentuated by the large martial arts uniform, his smooth eyes and slightly sharp voice made it hard to associate him with a martial arts gym; he seemed more like a shrewd businessman.

"Yes." Mu Fan lowered his eyelids and leaned forward slightly.

"I am Chanison, a mid-level manager at Starfall Martial Arts Gym. The second and third floors are exclusive to our VIP clients. As a sparring partner, your job is to be a practice target for the guests, in other words, a punching bag, because you cannot fight back. The salary is paid daily, 500 star coins per day, and any tips from the guests are yours. The gym provides meals and daily treatments. If you become disabled by accident, you will receive a one-time compensation of 30,000 star coins, with no further responsibility. Hey~~ If you accept, sign here." He picked up a contract from the table and threw it over.

Mu Fan looked at the contract, which was essentially just two simple sheets of paper. After a quick glance to confirm it was correct, he signed his name, which was a bit wobbly.

"Rip off your copy of the contract, Man Kun. Take this kid to the first floor to take a shower, change his clothes, and then explain the specific details to him. He will start work this afternoon."

"Yes, boss."

As the redwood door closed, Chanison touched his chin and chuckled, "Another naive kid. Is the money that easy to earn? We've been short on sparring partners lately. Tsk~"

Following the same path down the elevator to the first floor lobby, Man Kun pointed to a row of rooms to the right of the exit, "Those are the shower rooms. Kid, pick one and take a shower. You reek of motor oil. I'll put a set of training clothes out for you to change into; it's provided by the gym for free."

Ten minutes later, Mu Fan was standing at the entrance of the lobby in a set of gray training clothes. Man Kun walked over, his eyes lighting up, "You look pretty sharp, kid!"

Mu Fan was already tall, and the clean training clothes made him look even more upright. His face was now free of oil, and the youthful vigor was evident. His eyes were bright and determined, and he stood there like a leopard ready to pounce.

"First, let's go to Training Field 5. I'll explain the basic steps of being a sparring partner and then do some resistance training. The money isn't as easy to earn as you might think, and I don't want you to get injured."

...

Training Field 5 was already bustling with activity, with a group of people in gray training clothes practicing with each other.

"Haha, is this a new kid? He can't be over twenty, can he? So young and already here to earn disability pay? Hahahaha!" A tall man with a scar on his forehead, standing at about 1.9 meters, was easily handling the punches with a single arm holding a punching target. He noticed Mu Fan, brought in by Man Kun, and couldn't help but laugh loudly at the thin frame.

"Jelf, shut your mouth. If you want to earn money in the gym, behave yourself. If you ruin the boss's business, you know the consequences." Man Kun's gaze swept over the man, and his voice turned cold. Jelf was a troublemaker among the sparring partners, already thirty-three years old, a former mercenary who had to quit his life of danger after a bad job. With his strong build, he came to Starfall Martial Arts Gym two years ago. His 13-level physical standard, far above the average 6-level of ordinary people, and his rich combat experience meant he had never been seriously injured and had gained a small reputation in the sparring circle. Now, during the warm-up, Jelf, known for his vicious mouth and aggressive nature, naturally wouldn't miss the chance to mock Mu Fan.

"Hmph, if you're scared, just scram. Four others like you have already been crippled. But even if you want to leave, you can't. You must have signed the contract, right? Finish three matches first, rookie. Hahaha." Jelf glanced at Mu Fan again and laughed loudly.

Mu Fan calmly looked at Jelf and then turned his gaze away. Jelf, seeing such a dismissive attitude, seemed to be enraged but couldn't act out with Man Kun present. He shouted at the person in front of him, "What the hell, hitting like a girl! Use some force! Use some force! You're as weak as a mosquito!"

Man Kun stopped at an empty training area, took a handheld punching target from a wooden cabinet, and threw it to Mu Fan, "Kid, catch it. Hold it steady with both hands. First, let's practice with the punching target. The guests at the gym have varying levels of strength, and this is your only protection. If you drop it, you might get seriously injured. Try it out."

Mu Fan caught the punching target, put it on his right forearm, and held it in front of his chest, not using his left arm to support it but keeping it loosely at his side as a precaution.

"Huh, kid, you're overconfident. Let me give you a lesson." Man Kun, with a 11-level physical standard, knew that the federal 6-level standard included an instantaneous punch force of 75KG, followed by 150KG, 250KG, 400KG, 600KG, and 850KG for levels 7 to 11, with each subsequent level increasing by 50KG. Seeing that Mu Fan didn't follow his instructions, he couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. He admired the kid but wouldn't let him off without discipline. A heavy punch could seriously injure his arm if he didn't hold it steady.

Man Kun pulled back half his strength, turned suddenly, and threw a quick punch, intending to knock Mu Fan back and teach him a lesson.

"Bang" The sound was like hitting a leather bag, but the expected force of the punch didn't push Mu Fan back. Manison's eyebrows furrowed as Mu Fan stood steady, his right leg slightly bent, his left foot at a right angle, and his entire body, except for his right arm and the hair in front of his forehead, remained unmoved.

Sigh~ Man Kun knew what this meant. He didn't expect such strength in such a lean body, capable of easily withstanding a 9-level punch, indicating that his overall standard was not lower than his own! Interesting!

"Good kid, I underestimated you. Pay attention. There are machines over there for you to practice on, or you can practice with others. Do you have any questions?" Man Kun pointed to the group of people to the right, with various machines behind them.

"Yes!" Mu Fan's voice suddenly rang out, firm and strong, even making Man Kun pause.

"Go on."

"Does the gym provide meals?" Mu Fan's eyes suddenly lit up with a passionate glow.

"Yes, the gym provides breakfast and lunch. Dinner is on your own." Man Kun looked at Mu Fan strangely, wondering what was so unusual about this.

"Can I have lunch first before starting work?"

"Of course. In one hour, the 3rd restaurant will open for lunch, and you have a one and a half hour break. Then come back here on time. I will assign your afternoon sparring tasks. If you are more than five minutes late, you will be fined 50 star coins. If you are more than 30 minutes late without a reason, you won't be needed anymore." Man Kun, feeling uncomfortable with the heat in Mu Fan's eyes, answered as quickly as possible.

"Thank you. I'll go train now. You can hit me again."

Man Kun looked at the kid, who seemed suddenly energized, a stark contrast to his previous calm demeanor, and chuckled, "I just wanted to remind you. Go train over there. I'll report today's situation to the boss. Come back after lunch, don't be late."

"Okay." Hearing the word "lunch," Mu Fan felt a surge of energy, almost losing himself in the thought.

Man Kun looked at the kid, shook his head with a smile, and left.

Mu Fan opened his eyes and walked step by step to the punching bags and target machines. He started punching the bag rhythmically, "Thud, thud," but if you watched for a while, it was clear that he was distracted...

******

PS: Thank you to the reader "Dark Pure" for the 1888 donation!

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