One piece: Without a system, I have to survive!

The jungle was silent.

The only sound was my own breathing—heavy, controlled.

Across from me, my teacher stood, arms crossed, watching me like a predator waiting for its prey to make the first move.

This was it.

My first real test.

I had been training under him for weeks. My body had been pushed beyond its limits. My reflexes sharpened. My pain tolerance skyrocketed.

Now, I had to prove it.

I had to land a hit.

The First Strike

I lunged forward, keeping my movements tight and controlled.

No more reckless swings.

I threw a feint punch toward his face—

Then, at the last second, I shifted my weight and aimed a real strike at his ribs.

It was a perfect setup.

Or at least, I thought it was.

Because in the blink of an eye—

He was gone.

I barely caught a glimpse of his footwork before—

BAM!

A palm strike slammed into my chest, sending me stumbling backward.

"Better," he said, cracking his neck. "But still not good enough."

I gritted my teeth. Damn it!

The Dance of Combat

I rushed in again, throwing a quick jab, followed by a low kick.

He dodged effortlessly, weaving through my attacks like a ghost.

I could barely keep track of his movements.

It was infuriating.

Every time I tried to hit him, he was already a step ahead.

I felt like I was fighting a shadow.

But then—

I noticed something.

A Small Opening

Even though he was dodging with ease, he wasn't counterattacking.

He was testing me.

He wanted to see if I could figure something out.

I narrowed my eyes.

Speed alone wouldn't work.

I needed something else.

Unpredictability.

So I took a risk.

Instead of another straightforward attack, I faked a stumble.

It was a small, subtle move—just enough to make it seem like I had lost balance.

For the first time, his eyes flickered with a hint of surprise.

In that split second—

I struck.

A Fist Lands

My fist crashed into his shoulder.

It wasn't a clean hit. It didn't do much damage.

But it landed.

For the first time, I had touched him.

A heavy silence filled the air.

Then, slowly—

A smirk formed on his lips.

"Not bad," he admitted, rolling his shoulder. "Looks like you finally figured it out."

I let out a shaky breath. My heart was still racing.

I did it.

I wasn't strong yet. I wasn't fast enough yet.

But I was learning.

I was improving.

And that meant only one thing—

I could get even stronger.