The sun dipped low behind the skyline, painting the city in soft oranges and purples. Haejin stretched his arms and shrugged on his jacket, ready to call it a day. The cramped alley had been good for training, but now his stomach was demanding some real fuel. The fight against Jin had been more tiring than he anticipated.
He set off down the cracked sidewalk, the hum of distant traffic and chatter blending with the cool evening breeze. Neon signs flickered on as he passed, casting colorful reflections in puddles left by an earlier rain.
The noodle shop was just a few blocks away—a small, unassuming place tucked between a laundromat and a convenience store. Its faded red lantern swayed gently in the wind, promising warm broth and noodles steaming hot enough to thaw any lingering fatigue.
Haejin pushed open the door, the bell chiming softly. The familiar scent hit him like a wave—garlic, ginger, and rich pork broth.
Sliding onto a stool at the counter, he gave the owner a nod. "Same as always."
While waiting, Haejin pulled up his display and flicked through his Martial Arts tree. Pak Sao was still fresh, glowing faintly. Chain Punch, Knee Strike… all there, ready for action. He exited out of the Martial Arts tree to find something interesting.
His eyes caught a new icon shimmering faintly next to the Martial Arts emblem.
He tapped it.
[New Skill Tree Unlocked: Elemental Control]
[Skill Available: Elemental Root]
[Cost: 100 Spirit Points]
[Effect: Establishes a subtle connection to the elements beneath your feet, increasing stability and slowly regenerating energy during combat.]
"Okay, that's pretty neat," Haejin said, raising an eyebrow. He flicked his finger, unlocking the skill.
A gentle pulse spread through his feet and legs, like roots sinking into the earth beneath him—even though he was still sitting on the stool.
[System Notification: Skill Unlocked – Elemental Root]
[Spirit Points Remaining: 70]
He chuckled softly. "Guess I'm grounded now. Literally."
He took a long sip of his noodles, already feeling the quiet buzz of renewed energy.
"Not bad for a day's work."
...
Haejin had returned home and his mother came to greet him.
"How was it?"
Haejin thought for a moment, and then tried to fill her in as best he could on the events of the day, only briefly skimming over his fight with Jin and spoke mostly about eating noodles.
"Oh that's great!" His mother replied, "Well I'm sure you must be tired so you should probably go to bed."
Haejin nodded and clomped up the stairs to his room.
He flopped onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.
"So I can actually fight fire with a punch?" he thought, amused. "This whole system is weirder than I expected."
He rolled onto his side and glanced at his display hovering by the bedside. The Martial Arts Tree and the Elemental Control tree both glowed faintly. He decided to see what paths he could take on the Elemental Tree, and tapped it.
Branching out of the root skill, there were five paths to choose from. Each had a very obvious meaning as to what they would correlate to, and Haejin tapped through reading their descriptions.
[Skill: Fire]
[Effect: Unlocks Fire based skills and techniques, made for immense damage and damage boosts.]
[Skill: Water.]
[Effect: Unlocks Water based skills, made for mobility, defense, and wide range assault.]
[Skill: Earth]
[Effect: Unlocks Earth-based skills and techniques, focused on defense, durability, and powerful shockwave attacks.]
[Skill: Lightning]
[Effect: Unlocks Lightning-based skills and techniques, designed for speed boosts, stunning strikes, and electrical offense.]
[Skill: Air]
[Effect: Unlocks Air-based skills and techniques, specializing in enhanced agility, wind manipulation for offense and defense.]
After reading each description carefully, he thought that lightning would be a really cool matchup with his martial arts, so he clicked on it one more time.
[Skill: Lightning]
[Effect: Unlocks Lightning-based skills and techniques, designed for speed boosts, stunning strikes, and electrical offense.]
[Cost: 500 Spirit Points]
"500!?" Haejin exclaimed in shock, but he calmed down approximately one second later, due to realizing that controlling lightning would be slightly more challenging than slapping something.
The soft glow of the city lights filtered through the curtains as Haejin finally drifted into sleep. His body relaxed for the first time in hours, muscles unwinding from the day's training and sparring. His mind, however, hummed quietly with the new possibilities opening before him — new skills, new paths, and a deeper power waiting to be claimed.
...
Morning came swiftly, light spilling across his room like a fresh start. Haejin yawned, stretched, and swung his legs off the bed. The familiar buzz of his display greeted him, reminding him of the journey ahead.
Today, he decided, was all about one thing: gathering spirit points.
He slid into his sneakers and headed out into the crisp morning air. The city was waking up, but the streets still held a calmness he could use to focus.
"Alright," he muttered, "time to get stronger."
With steady breath and quiet determination, Haejin began his morning routine — a mix of meditation to clear his mind, focused punches against a lamppost, and slow, precise movements to hone his Qi control.
Each strike, each breath, sent tiny ripples of energy through him. The spirit points began to accumulate.
System Notification: Spirit Points gained: 30[Spirit Points Total: 100]
He grinned. "Not bad for just waking up."
He pushed himself harder, chaining punches, stepping fluidly, feeling the surge of energy grow.
System Notification: Spirit Points gained: 50[Spirit Points Total: 150]
Sweat beaded on his brow, but Haejin welcomed it — proof of progress.
"Come on, just a little more."
He closed his eyes, centered his mind, and poured everything into one last burst of energy.
System Notification: Spirit Points gained: 70[Spirit Points Total: 220]
He opened his eyes, breath heavy but steady, and smiled.
"Now we're getting somewhere."