Mech: Shattering of the Galaxy

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"Are you here to apply for the sparring partner job?" In a spacious, redwood-style room, a short-statured man sat in a large leather chair, looking about forty years old. His thin face was covered with a blue stubble, giving him a shrewd appearance. His broad Taoist robe accentuated his small build and, combined with the sharpness in his eyes and slightly high-pitched voice, made it difficult to associate him with a Martial Arts Hall. He seemed more like a shrewd businessman.

"Yes." Mu Fan lowered his eyelids and leaned forward slightly.

"I'm Chanison, a mid-level manager at the Star Fall Martial Arts Hall. The second and third floors are exclusive venues for our VIP clients. As a sparring partner, your job is to be the customer's practice target. In other words, a punching bag, because you're not allowed to hit back. The salary is settled daily at 500 Star Coins, and any tips from clients are yours to keep. The Martial Arts Hall provides meals and daily treatments, and if you accidentally become disabled, the compensation is a one-time payment of 30,000 Star Coins with no further responsibilities. Heh, if you agree, just sign here." After speaking, he took a contract from the table and tossed it over.

Mu Fan looked at the contract before him. Simply put, it was just two pages. After a quick scan and confirmation of its accuracy, he scribbled his distorted name on it.

"Tear off your copy of the contract. Mankun, take this kid to the first floor to shower, change clothes, and then brief him on the specifics. The official work starts this afternoon."

"Yes, boss."

When the redwood door closed, Chanison touched his chin and chuckled lightly, "Another foolish kid, thinks it's that easy to make money? There haven't been enough punching bags for the Hall lately, tsk~"

Following the original route down the elevator to the first-floor lobby, Mankun pointed to a row of rooms to the right of the exit, saying, "Those are the showers. Kid, pick any room to shower first. The smell of engine oil is too strong. I'll have a training suit ready for you to change into. Consider this complimentary from the Martial Arts Hall."

Ten minutes later, Mu Fan stood at the entrance of the lobby in a gray training suit. Mankun walked over and couldn't help but brighten up at the sight. "Kid, you're looking sharp!"

Mu Fan was already tall, and the clean training suit only made him stand out more. His face was now free of oil stains, and he exuded the vibrant energy unique to youth. His eyes were bright and resilient, standing there like a leopard ready to pounce.

"First, let's go to Training Field No. 5. I'll give you an overview of the basic steps as a sparring partner and some resistance training. This job isn't as easy as you think. I don't want you to get hurt."

...

Training Field No. 5, exclusively used by the staff of the Star Fall Martial Arts Hall, was bustling with activity. A group of people in gray training suits were sparring with one another.

"Haha, is that a newbie? Can't be more than twenty, huh? So young and already here to earn disability fees? Hahahaha," a giant man, who stood at about one ninety meters with a scar on his forehead, easily fended off the attack before him with a punching pad on one arm. He casually glanced around and spotted Mu Fan being led by Mankun. Seeing his lean build, he couldn't help but loudly mock.

"Jeff, shut your foul mouth. If you want to earn money in the Martial Arts Hall, keep it together. If you mess up the boss's business, you know the consequences." Mankun's gaze swept over the giant man, his words growing icy toward the end. Jeff was the troublemaker among the sparring partners at the Hall. Already thirty-three years old, he was an ex-mercenary who once got into trouble with the wrong people after messing up a client's job, forcing him to leave his life of living on the edge. With his strength, he joined the Star Fall Martial Arts Hall two years ago. His exceptional 13-level physique was far above the average level 6 human, and with rich fighting experience, Jeff had never suffered a severe injury. He gradually gained a bit of fame in the sparring circle. Since everyone was warming up, the notoriously venomous and combative Jeff naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to find amusement in Mu Fan.

"Heh heh, if you're scared, kid, just run off. Four like you have already been beaten up. But even if you want to leave, you can't. You must have signed the contract, right? Fight three full rounds first, little rookie, hahahaha." Jeff cast another glance at Mu Fan before turning around and laughing loudly.

Mu Fan calmly looked at Jeff for a moment, then withdrew his gaze. Jeff felt like he had been provoked by such an indifferent attitude. But with Mankun present, he couldn't act out, and he yelled at the person he was hitting in front, "Grandma's leg, why are you hitting like a woman? You're like a puddle, hit harder! Harder! Like a mosquito, damn useless!"

Moving to an empty spot, Mankun stopped, retrieved a hand-held punching pad from a wooden cabinet on the side, and tossed it to Mu Fan, "Kid, hold it properly, keep a firm grip with both hands. First, practice holding the punching pad. Clients at the Hall have varying punching powers. This is your only protection. If you fail to grip it properly and let go, you might get seriously injured. Give it a try."

Mu Fan caught the punching pad, slipped it onto his right forearm, and waved it before positioning his arm in front of his chest. His left arm stayed at his side, in case of emergencies.

"Hah, kid, you're being cocky. Let me teach you a lesson." Mankun's physique was at an 11-level standard. Federation's 6-level standard's instantaneous punching power was 75KG, then successively 150KG, 250KG, 400KG, 600KG, 850KG for levels 7 to 11. The standard increased by 50KG with each subsequent level. Seeing Mu Fan not following his instructions a bit annoyed him. Though he appreciated this kid, it didn't mean he'd go easy. A heavy punch from a strong opponent, and failing to hold on properly, meant serious arm injury.

Mankun held back half his strength, quickly throwing a casual punch with a sudden turn, aiming to knock Mu Fan away and teach him a lesson.

"Bang" resounded like a dull thud hitting leather. The expected sensation of repelling didn't appear. Mankun frowned; Mu Fan stood firmly in front of him. His right leg bent slightly, left foot firmly angled, his body unmoved except for his right arm and the stray hairs on his forehead.

Hiss~ got a hidden gem here. Mankun clearly understood what this meant. He didn't expect such strength in that seemingly lean body. Easily withstanding a punch delivered with 9th-level standard strength means his overall standard won't be lower than mine! Interesting!

"Good kid, I underestimated you. Keep this in mind, you can train over there with the equipment or with others. Do you have any questions?" Mankun pointed to the group on the right. Various pieces of equipment were piled behind them at a distance of several dozen meters.

"Yes!" Mu Fan's voice suddenly rang out, powerful and resolute, even making Mankun pause.

"Speak."

"Does the Martial Arts Hall provide food?" Mu Fan's eyes suddenly radiated an intense light.

"Yes, the Hall provides breakfast and lunch. Dinner is on your own." Mankun looked at Mu Fan with a puzzled expression; was there something odd about this?

"Can I eat before starting work?"

"Of course, you can. In an hour, you can go to the No. 3 cafeteria for lunch. Lunch break is an hour and a half. Then meet here on time. I'll assign afternoon sparring tasks. Being more than five minutes late will result in a 50 Star Coin penalty. If you're late for more than thirty minutes without reason, you don't need to come back." Mankun felt uncomfortable seeing the heat in Mu Fan's eyes and answered with the fastest speech he could muster.

"Thank you, then I'll start training. You can punch me again if you want."

Mankun watched as the kid before him seemed suddenly charged with energy, entirely different from the previous composed demeanor. He chuckled, "I just wanted to give you a heads-up. Kid, go train over there on your own. I'll report today's situation to the boss. Come over after filling up at lunch. Don't be late."

"Hmm." Hearing "fill up," Mu Fan felt as if a surge of energy welled up within him, even becoming somewhat dazed.

Mankun glanced at the kid before him, shook his head amusingly, and turned to leave.

Mu Fan stared ahead, walking toward the sandbags and punching machines. Then, his eyes slightly dazed, he rhythmically punched the sandbag with dull thuds, "thud, thud," though a closer look would reveal Mu Fan had drifted into his thoughts...

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PS: Thanks to book friend "Dark purity" for the 1,888 reward!

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