=

  Part- 324:

  He took a slow breath, tering himself. Jel was nothing more than white noise, a mosquito buzzing at the edge of his focus. The real battle was ahead. And James khat wheime came, it wouldn’t be words that decided the oute—it would be a.

  He dropped bato his warm-up, muscles flowing smoothly through a series of drills. As he executed a fwless throw against an imaginary oppo, the thought crossed his mind that Jel didn’t really uand what was ing.

  James reflected ohing, from his as to his frontations with oppos. This wasn’t the James he onew. "What am I now, some kind of edgelord?" he mused.

  The system had ged everything—not just his body, but his mind. It sharpened him, honed every instinct, every thought, until there was nothi but pure i. His rength wasn’t fshy; it didn’t o be. It recise, trolled, aating in its simplicity.

  Jel wanted chaos, but James would give him silence. A silence so absolute that the only thing Jel would hear whe the mat was the sound of his ow.

  As James moved into another set of drills, his expression remained calm, unbothered. The match would e soon enough. The crowd would roar. The mats would shake uhe force of bodies colliding. But in the end, whehing was said and done, only one of them would be left standing.

  And James inteo make sure it was him.

  About an hour ter, the peaceful atmosphere iadium was broken by the ctter of footsteps and a chorus of voices. The rest of the Banani High Judo Club had arrived, and with them came their usual blend of high energy and pyful baheir camaraderie was iious, filling the air with ughter and easy versation.

  Abbas, always the first to notice James, spotted him from across the room and headed over, a wide grin pstered across his face. "Well, well, look who decided to show up early for once. Couldn’t sleep, huh?"

  James gave a faint smile, shrugging. "Not even a little."

  Abbas cpped him on the shoulder, his rge hand nding with a reassuring thud. "I get it, man. Big day ahead. I bet you were up all night, thinking about that final match, imagining yourself on the podium, huh?" He ughed, his voiing and full of life, trasting sharply with James' quiet demeanor.

  James’ smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, but he nodded. "Something like that." He didn’t mention the system's mission, the weight of it hanging heavy in his mind. Not yet. The idea of an Ultimate Skill still felt surreal, and the st thing he needed was to share it, especially not now when they all o focus.

  Before they could delve deeper, Ryan bounded over, his wild, u hair boung with each step. He looked at James, sizing him up in his usual animated way. "Whoa, dude! You look like a zombie. Dark circles, pale face—the whole undead vibe. Did you sleep at all?" His eyes twinkled with mischief as he circled James dramatically, pretending to i him like a doctor.

  James rolled his eyes but couldn’t help chug softly. "Thanks for the diagnosis, Dr. Ryan."

  Ryan smirked. "No problem. I only charge in snacks, so you better bring some ime."