Dimension Beta

The next day, Tom went to class as usual. Surprisingly, besides Felix, no one seemed to care about his absence the day before. Even his teacher didn't ask, so Tom made up a quick lie about having a headache and not being able to attend.

When the school bell rang, Felix eagerly walked over to him. "Hey, let's head out together!"

Tom hesitated. "Actually, I might want to check out a club, so you can go on without me."

"Really? What kind of club? Will there be girls?" Felix teased, grinning.

"I don't know," Tom replied, rolling his eyes. "I just decided yesterday that I want to join some kind of fighting class. I figured I'd check out a few clubs that focus on that."

"Oh, really? You should check out the boxing club," Felix suggested. "I heard their captain made it to the semi-finals in the last regional tournament."

"Sounds good. Thanks! See you later."

They said their goodbyes, and Tom made his way toward the gym, his first stop being the boxing club.

Even without Felix's reminder, boxing seemed like the closest thing to his brawler class in Beta.

As he entered the gym, he saw people warming up by jumping rope. The gym was divided into four sections, each hosting training sessions for different clubs.

Tom approached the boxing club. The captain was easy to spot, as he was leading the warm-up while participating alongside the others.

Tom walked up to him and introduced himself. "Good day, my name is Tom, and I wanted to check out your club today."

The captain turned to face him, looking him up and down. "You're a little young, but that's no reason not to give it a try," he said. "Have you picked your class yet? How about you join us for today's training, and we'll see how it goes?"

"Yes!" Tom said, excitement clear in his voice.

He was just about to tell the captain about his class when an all-too-familiar voice interrupted.

"What is he doing here?"

Tom turned to see Simon, the boy he had punched earlier in the week, standing behind him with a scowl.

"Simon, you're late," the captain said, frowning. "This is a potential new member."

"I didn't ask who he is," Simon replied irritably. "I asked what he's doing here."

Tom couldn't help but think, So his name is Simon, huh?

Simon walked up to the captain and whispered something in his ear. The captain looked at him with a mixture of annoyance and skepticism. "Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely," Simon insisted.

The captain sighed and turned back to Tom. "It looks like we'll have to postpone your trial session."

Tom was confused but kept his composure. "How about next week?"

"Next week's not good," the captain replied curtly. "Try again next year."

Simon stood beside the captain, flashing Tom a smug smile. It was obvious he had said something to sabotage Tom's chances.

"I see. I won't bother you anymore," Tom said calmly before walking away.

Determined not to let this stop him, Tom headed toward the self-defense club in another section of the gym.

But Simon was one step ahead. Tom watched as Simon ran over to the self-defense captain and started talking to him.

A moment later, Tom received another rejection. "Sorry, the club's already full," the captain said.

Tom sighed in frustration, noticing Simon heading toward the next club. He didn't even bother trying there, knowing what the outcome would be.

Defeated, Tom left the gym and began walking home.

Tom's frustration with Simon grew with every step. What did I ever do to him? he thought angrily. It was one punch. Why is he trying so hard to screw me over?

As he passed a large dojo advertising Free Martial Arts, something caught his eye. He had never heard of that style before, but martial arts meant fighting, right?

Curious, Tom stepped inside.

He saw several muscular people sparring, using kicks and punches in fluid combinations. He was mesmerized until a large hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"Did you get lost, kid?" a deep voice asked.

Startled, Tom turned to see a towering man, easily over two meters tall, with a deep tan suggesting he came from the south.

"Cat got your tongue, kid?" the man asked again, smirking.

Before Tom could answer, another man, much shorter, probably only 170 cm tall, approached and smacked the larger man on the back of the head.

"Jackson, stop scaring the kid!" the smaller man scolded.

"What? I didn't do anything!" Jackson grumbled, annoyed.

"Warm up already," the smaller man retorted. "I'll show you what 'nothing' looks like soon enough."

The larger man walked off, muttering under his breath, while the shorter man turned to Tom, grinning brightly. His white teeth stood out against his dark skin.

"So, what can we do for you, young man?"

Tom hesitated. He didn't have the money for a membership and felt a little out of place.

"I was looking for a place to learn about fighting," he said cautiously.

The man laughed. "Well, you've come to the right place, but you're a little young to join us. Why not try your school? I'm sure they have clubs better suited for you."

"I tried," Tom said, his voice tinged with frustration. "It didn't work out."

"Why not?" the man asked, curious.

Tom explained everything that had happened with Simon at the gym. By the end, the man was clenching his fists in anger.

"What an a**hole," he muttered.

"Yeah, but there's nothing I can do," Tom said, shrugging. "Sorry for wasting your time."

He turned to leave, but the man stopped him. "Hey, wait."

"Hmm?" Tom looked back, confused.

"Come with me," the man said, walking toward the center of the dojo.

Tom hesitated but followed.

They approached a large ring. "Come here, young man," the man said, stepping inside.

Tom nervously climbed into the ring, unsure of what to expect.

The man tossed him a headgear and a pair of gloves. "Put them on," he said, pulling on his own gloves.

The gloves felt heavy, dragging Tom's hands downward. It was clear they were designed to strengthen the wearer's arms over time.

"Show me what you've got," the man said with a smile.

Tom took a deep breath and adopted his fighting stance. He struggled to keep his hands up but managed.

"Not coming? Don't blame me if I strike first," the man teased before launching a kick.

Tom blocked, but the sheer force of the blow made his arms tremble and ache.

"Is that all?" the man asked. "Now I see why they didn't want you. You've got no bite, kid."

The words reignited Tom's determination. With renewed focus, he attacked.

Punches, kicks, and combinations flew, but the man dodged effortlessly.

"Whoa, whoa, is that all you've got?" he mocked, grinning.

For two minutes, Tom gave it his all, but the man remained untouched.

Exhausted, Tom leaned against the ropes, drenched in sweat. Meanwhile, the man didn't have a single drop on him.

"Not bad, boy," the man finally said. "You've got some bite after all."

"Hey, kid! Not bad for a first timer!" someone shouted.

Tom realized that at some point, the entire dojo had stopped to watch the sparring match.

Feeling embarrassed, he glanced around nervously.

"What do you say, guys?" the man called out. "Should we let him train with us?"

There was a brief silence before someone shouted, "Sure, why not?"

"Yeah, let him stay!" another chimed in.

Others nodded or murmured in agreement.

The man turned back to Tom. "Well, boy? Want to join our dojo?"

Tom hesitated, fiddling with his gloves. "I'd love to join, but... I don't really have any money."

The dojo erupted in laughter.

The man threw an arm around Tom's shoulders. "Kid, I didn't ask if you had money. I asked if you wanted to join."

Tom was speechless. All he could do was nod enthusiastically.

And just like that, Tom joined the Free Martial Arts Dojo.

Tom didn't join the rest of the dojo's training, which would usually last about 1.5 hours.

Today was a sparring session, and after his bout with Tyson, he'd had enough for one day. General training was held two to three times a week, and Tom decided he'd join those sessions going forward.

During a brief conversation with some of the other members, Tom learned the name of the man he had sparred with. Everyone called him Tyson. Apparently, it wasn't his real name but a nickname inspired by a legendary boxer from a few hundred years ago. Tyson was apparently a big deal back in the day, though Tom didn't fully understand the significance. Still, he figured everyone had their own heroes.

When Tom got home, his first priority was food. After eating, he headed straight to his room and logged back into Beta, after looking up a few things on the forum.

There was no time to waste as he had to pick up where he'd left off the day before.