Chapter 191

Leon stood there five steps away, having just shrugged off his old coat, his slim frame catching the Female Police Officer’s attention. She hesitated for a brief moment before asking:

“I know a mix of Martial Arts styles, but the two best suited for quick learning are Police Martial Arts and Military Martial Arts. Which one would you like to learn?”

Leon, clueless about Martial Arts, paused briefly then asked, “What’s the difference between these two?”

“Their goals and characteristics vary. Military Martial Arts focuses on rapid incapacitation, making the opponent unable to fight back instantly… Like this!”

Before Leon could fully process her words, the Female Police Officer’s body shot downwards with incredible speed, gliding across the ground like a shadowy black fish, covering the three-meter distance between them in an instant. In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of him.

What the heck?

The moment the Female Police Officer crouched down, Leon tried to track her movements with his eyes. Despite his heightened reaction time from his 4.1 Taint Value, all he could see was a blurred silhouette rushing toward him. He barely had time to discern her limbs’ positions.

Instinctively stepping back, Leon was caught off-guard as one of her legs, clad in tight black pants with impressive elasticity, slipped beneath his right knee. With just a slight upward thrust, it disrupted his balance, sending him sprawling backward.

Then, before his body even hit the ground, while still flailing mid-air, a soft prod struck the spot between his third and fourth left ribs, dangerously close to his heart.

“If I had a dagger, you’d already be dead.”

Standing where Leon once was, the Female Police Officer mimicked the stabbing motion with two fingers, clearly satisfied with the stunned expression on Leon’s face. Suppressing a chuckle, she maintained a serious demeanor:

“A Novice Combatant who lasted only 0.5 seconds under my hands! Listen up: the first thing you need to learn in Martial Arts isn’t how to knock out your opponent, but rather ‘don’t move randomly.’ Your body is tougher than it looks, and your stance has a longer range than my charge. If you hadn’t retreated haphazardly just now and instead summoned the courage to kick me, the outcome might have been different!”

Kicking, huh?

Recalling the scene, Leon brushed off the dirt and stood up, pondering thoughtfully: “If I had kicked, would that have blocked your attack?”

“Unlikely,” the Female Police Officer shook her head.

“But it might’ve slowed your demise slightly. I’d need a second action to finish you off, extending the total time from 0.5 seconds to around 0.8 seconds.”

Huh? So the difference between kicking or not is merely delaying death by a fraction of a second? Humph!

Seeing Leon’s crestfallen expression due to her answer, the previously stern Female Police Officer couldn’t help but smile. She then scrutinized Leon contemplatively.

For Martial Arts, verbal explanations can never replace firsthand experience. Her sudden assault was meant to give him a taste of what real combat feels like—opening his eyes.

Indeed, the first lesson for any novice isn’t about staying still but learning to keep your eyes open.

Newcomers instinctively shut their eyes when an opponent approaches their face, which is akin to surrendering outright since observing your opponent relies solely on sight.

Her original plan was to rush Leon and punch toward his face, forcing him to close his eyes and thus teaching him the most crucial lesson: overcoming the urge to shut your eyes during combat.

However, she didn’t expect Leon’s mind and body to react despite his inability to visually track her movements. Even more surprising, he seemed to intuitively judge her target, stepping back in time to avoid the blow. Thus, the first lesson shifted from keeping eyes open to avoiding unnecessary movement.

Hmm… Long limbs, quick reflexes, accurate instincts or judgment, and physical endurance… seems stronger than appearances suggest?

After testing the resistance of Leon’s leg earlier, the Female Police Officer nodded slightly, having gauged his capabilities.

“You’re better off learning Police Martial Arts. Though Military Martial Arts boasts greater lethality, its techniques often involve assassination and powerful strikes, demanding significant strength and specific environments. While you meet the requirements, it doesn’t quite suit your style.”

Approaching Leon, she pinched the muscles on his shoulders and thighs, noting approvingly: “Leon, though you appear lean, your strength is decent compared to your remarkable speed and reflexes, which stand out significantly. Your judgment is also commendable.

Unlike Military Martial Arts, the goal of Police Martial Arts is arrest, control, self-defense, and limiting mobility—in short, restraining opponents effectively using joint locks and other techniques.

The challenge lies in requiring swift reactions and excellent judgment, both of which you possess. I believe, given your physical attributes, even with only a couple of days, you’ll master some highly effective moves.”

“Alright, let’s go with Police Martial Arts.”

Though tempted by the lethal efficiency of Military Martial Arts, Leon trusted the expert advice and watched attentively as the Female Police Officer demonstrated Police Martial Arts techniques.

…

“The Kingdom’s Police Martial Arts consists of 22 basic actions: 3 for initiating attacks, 3 for cooperating with teammates to subdue targets, and the remaining 16 for self-defense counterattacks.”

After demonstrating the stances, slightly flushed, the Female Police Officer explained earnestly: “Given your limited time, I’ll teach you 3 representative moves from the 16 defensive counters. Mastering these will allow you to quickly subdue most opponents in a one-on-one situation.”

“Uh… Could you teach me more? I think I learn pretty fast.”

Checking his Badge interface, Leon proposed, determined to “cheat”:

“How about those offensive moves? Can you teach me a couple? Always being on defense isn’t ideal.”

“Don’t aim too high! Learning just these three defensive moves within such a short time is already challenging!”

Stopping mid-motion, the Female Police Officer warned seriously: “Don’t underestimate defense; it’s actually called ‘defensive counterattack,’ focusing on exploiting flaws in an opponent’s offense. Offensive moves, however, expose your own weaknesses!

Moreover, even if your defensive skills are subpar, they can still protect you. Half-baked offensive techniques might leave your vital areas exposed to enemy blades!”

“Ah…”

Fine… Let’s start here. If I don’t unlock any new Badges, her advice is sound. If I do, I’ll ask her to teach me more later.

Unaware of Leon’s thoughts, seeing him comply and diligently follow her instructions, the Female Police Officer nodded approvingly before continuing:

While explaining, she illustrated an arm-blocking posture.

“Think of your arms as shields… Actually, that’s too abstract. Come over! Punch me! Faster!”

“Got it!”

Leon nodded, positioned himself opposite her as instructed, and threw a punch.

Instantly, a replay of the previous “one-stab kill” unfolded. The Female Police Officer ducked low, half of her body disappearing from Leon’s line of sight. Then Leon felt a sharp pain along the inside of his arm as his attack was deflected effortlessly.

In the split second his right hand went numb, two supple “black snakes” slithered up, locking onto his shoulder joints. His neck was nudged, and he felt a firm hook from her slender calf against the inside of his left knee. Losing balance, he fell backward, his stomach lightly tapped by her toe.

“Use your arms to strike your opponent’s nerve points, taking advantage of the paralysis to close in. Grab their shoulders and pull them toward you, then use your forehead to ram their neck… For a fatal blow, aim for the throat!”

Demonstrating the shoulder-grabbing and head-butting motions, the Female Police Officer continued with a somewhat menacing tone:

“That’s the upper body part. Simultaneously, engage your lower body. As you make contact, hook your opponent’s leg with yours. When they lose balance, press forward and deliver the final kick! If aiming to kill, skip the stomach and aim lower… directly at the groin!”

Not a single detail missed!

Holy crap! Watching the Female Police Officer’s foot swing forward, stopping mere inches from his groin, Leon involuntarily shuddered, invoking primal male fear.

So the first move involves groin kicks! Guess the Assistant Minister of Public Security was right—competitions really do limit Isa’s full potential…

“Did you remember?”

Ignoring Leon’s shock, the Female Police Officer, now fully immersed in teaching mode, her usually pleasant face adopting a serious expression, pulled him up and ordered:

“If you’ve memorized it, switch roles. This time, I’ll attack, and you defend and trip me!”

“Alright…”

Leon stood ready, positioning himself as instructed. Facing her incoming right punch, he attempted to mimic her taught technique, sinking his shoulders to deflect the blow. However, his execution was clumsy, sinking too deep, compounded by the Female Police Officer’s tall stature with long legs comparable to any average man. Consequently, his intended headbutt aimed for her neck ended up slightly lower.

Crap!

Realizing the impending mistake mid-action, Leon quickly adjusted, tightening his grip on her shoulders and swiftly retracting his extended leg to guard his vulnerable area, fearing an accidental escalation into a real fight.

Surprisingly, after being forcefully headbutted, the Female Police Officer stiffened momentarily but made no attempt to retaliate. Instead, she flowed with his momentum, deliberately falling backward, even shielding his head to prevent it from hitting the ground.

“…”

“Terrible!”

Pushing the unbalanced Leon away, the Female Police Officer dusted herself off, visibly dissatisfied: “Your form was completely off! Aside from successfully striking my nerve points, everything else was wrong—the headbutt missed its mark, your footwork failed to follow through, and most importantly, you forgot to release my shoulders, resulting in us both falling. You couldn’t land that final kick! Get up and practice again!”

Whoa…

She isn’t mad? She didn’t even demand an explanation? What happened to that brash, aggressive Isa who flipped my tray when I argued with her?

“Hurry up! Keep going!”

Noticing Leon’s astonished gaze, her ears slightly reddening, the Female Police Officer finally lost her composure, stomping her foot and gritting her teeth: “Come on! You have a dangerous mission in three days! The more you learn now, the safer you’ll be then! Stop overthinking and focus on training!”

“…”

So… Is she concerned for my safety, hence tempering her usual fiery temperament? Seeing her secretly fidgeting with her fingers while maintaining a fierce facade, Leon couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Under her mildly irritated glare, he straightened up, assuming the defensive stance again, determinedly declaring:

“Again! I’ll get it this time!”

…

[Through Isa Hill’s extremely dedicated repeated practice sessions, you successfully activated the Black Iron Badge “Novice Combatant”]

[Novice Combatant: A fighter who has undergone relatively systematic training, mastering certain Martial Arts techniques. Although not highly skilled yet, a solid foundation has been laid.]

[Wearing Effect: As a beginner in Martial Arts, although your techniques are still raw, after correcting your force application and striking habits, your strength and speed in combat have seen a minor increase.]

[Advancement Path: After completing 20 real combats or 200 accompanying practice sessions, this badge will automatically upgrade to the Bronze Badge “Experienced Combatant.” Current progress: 0/20, 0/200.]

[Hidden Trait: Due to proper cultivation and rigorous training, your talent in Martial Arts has been fully developed, granting you a slight ability to predict enemy attacks.]

“Zz…”

[Through your own learning and reflection, you mastered low-level Martial Arts skills, activating the Unique Badge “Materialist Soul (Bright Red).”

Your understanding of Martial Arts is “low,” but thanks to your inclination towards thoughtful analysis and self-adjustment, you successfully learned some rather unique techniques from your instructor.

When attacking your opponent’s eyes or groin, your accuracy and damage dealt will be significantly enhanced.]

(End of Chapter)