"Hello, Priyanka. Are you free right now? If not, I can call you back later."
Kirish didn't believe in wasting words.
He kept his greeting direct, but the moment the connection established, Priyanka's voice crackled through the receiver, vibrating with an entirely different level of enthusiasm.
"Not at all, Master! Actually, I was just about to dial your number myself.
I needed your guidance on something. Please tell me, how can I assist you today?"
Priyanka's demeanor had completely shifted; she was treating Kirish with absolute reverence now.
After her cousin Ruan's utter failure to bypass his digital encryption, she was convinced that a terrifying, hidden powerhouse or a legendary sovereign entity stood right behind this young man.
Maintaining his strict, detached 'Senior' facade, Kirish replied smoothly, "As your instructor, it is my duty to address your concerns first.
Tell me what issues you are facing, and then we shall discuss my agenda." Kirish knew the psychology of power; to maintain his worth as a Master, he had to remain an enigma—stern, disciplined, and slightly aloof.
"Understood, Master," Priyanka said, her tone laced with a hint of hesitation.
"I have been practicing the twelve steps diligently, and I feel my execution has improved significantly.
However, I would be deeply honored if you could personally evaluate my progress.
Furthermore... remember when you mentioned that if anyone else wished to learn, I could refer them to you? Well, someone does.
Do you happen to have an opening in your schedule?"
Internally, Kirish smirked. His ultimate motive for calling her had been to scout for new clients through her high-society network to hit his target.
He hadn't expected Priyanka to serve him a fresh source of income on a silver platter.
Regulating his voice to sound perfectly unbothered, Kirish responded,
"I was actually calling to discuss a similar matter. But tell me first—what martial discipline does this individual practice? I must clarify that I will not be teaching any Energy-based Martial Arts at this current juncture.
I have personal reasons for this restriction, so do not pry into it. If your referral accepts this condition, we can proceed."
Kirish laid down his terms with absolute transparency.
He wasn't afraid of pushing her away; honesty was his policy, and a mysterious master setting strict boundaries only made him look more legitimate.
Priyanka didn't mind the restriction at all. "That won't be an issue, Master. He is a junior trainee just like me. The technique he wants to refine is a close-quarters brawling style. It's a punching discipline known as—The Hundred Punches of Hell."
Kirish nearly stumbled over his own feet. 'The Hundred Punches of Hell? Who in their right mind comes up with these ridiculous names?' he thought dryly.
Mentally, he pinged his interface. 'System, can you handle a fist technique like this?'
["If you witness the target executing the technique firsthand,I can reverse-engineer its entire structural blueprint and roots. However, since the target is not currently within my scanning radius, I cannot assist you dynamically."]
Kirish frowned slightly. The problem wasn't whether he could teach it; it was how absurdly greedy the System was.
Once he saw the technique, the System would undoubtedly unlock the absolute 'Root Version' of it, but it would then force Kirish to purchase it at a premium price.
Granted, it would still be cheaper than any high-tier market catalog, but his wallet would take a hit. Still, now was not the time to overthink.
Turning his attention back to the call, Kirish spoke, "Very well. I possess an understanding of this particular fist style. Bring him to meet me tomorrow, and I shall evaluate his form. And ensure he is fully briefed on my premium compensation rates."
"Understood, Teacher! Where and when shall we meet?"
Priyanka asked eagerly.
Kirish briefly scanned his schedule.
He still had a few days of grace before his formal orientation at White Feather College commenced. After a short deliberation over logistics, they finalized a booking at the elite Ania Martial Hall.
The next morning, Kirish sat comfortably inside the private lounge of the Ania Martial Hall cafeteria, quietly consuming a massive spread of high-protein rations.
Ever since his Blue Star Orbit had stabilized, his physical mass was technically five times denser and stronger than an ordinary human, causing his metabolic rate to skyrocket.
To curb this monstrous appetite, he needed to master his Mana Energy Control.
Once he could perfectly circulate Mana to nourish his cells, his reliance on physical food would drop, allowing him to fast for weeks without losing an ounce of muscle mass.
Just as he finished his final plate, two figures approached his table. It was Priyanka, accompanied by a tall, heavily-built teenager.
The boy looked slightly older than Priyanka, and his facial expression was a terrible mix of skepticism and immediate disappointment the moment his eyes landed on Kirish.
"Ah, you've arrived." Kirish gestured calmly toward the empty seats, his gaze sweeping over the newcomer.
Priyanka stepped forward to introduce him. "Master, this is my cousin, Kevin. Unlike me, he specializes purely as a hand-to-hand combatant. I spoke to him about your exceptional insights, and he requested an audience to learn from you."
In reality, Kevin hadn't come to learn. He was highly protective of Priyanka and strongly suspected that some cheap charlatan was taking financial advantage of his naive cousin.
Looking at Kirish—who looked roughly his own age and didn't possess the bulging, unscientific muscles of a traditional heavyweight—Kevin was entirely convinced that this guy was either a fraud or a bottom-tier martial enthusiast.
He wanted to shatter Kirish's mask right here, but for Priyanka's sake, he maintained a polite facade for now.
"Hello, Master. My name is Andre," Kevin spoke, using his professional combat pseudonym. "I hope your lessons are as revolutionary as my cousin claims."
Hearing someone only a year younger than him call him 'Master' felt slightly surreal to Kirish, but he didn't let his composure slip. "Let's head to the training ring."
The three of them moved into a heavily shielded, private kinetic training bay.
Kirish decided to start with Priyanka to set the baseline.
"Priyanka, you mentioned encountering a mechanical bottleneck in your transition steps. Stand before the impact dummy and execute the twelve revised steps of the Light Axe I taught you yesterday."
Priyanka took a deep breath, centered her weight, and exploded forward.
Her movements cut through the air, her final leg strike generating a sharp sonic pop against the reinforced chassis of the dummy.
It was an incredibly precise, textbook execution, but by the end of the sequence, her breathing was ragged, her stamina thoroughly depleted.
Kevin watched from the sidelines, his arms crossed.
Though he wasn't a leg-style specialist, he was a trained combatant from the prestigious Khanna lineage; he knew the commercial Light Axe was incredibly complex and messy.
Seeing Priyanka execute it with such terrifying, streamlined efficiency made his eyes widen. A seed of genuine surprise planted itself in his mind.
'Did this guy actually optimize a standard B-rank technique down to twelve steps?'
However, suspicion still lingered in his chest.
'An expert in leg techniques isn't automatically a master of fist arts.
Can a kicker truly teach a brawler how to punch?'
Kirish stepped forward, point by point dissecting Priyanka's minute alignment errors.
To ensure her form remained flawless under stress, he silently accessed his interface, spent a small amount of 'W' currency, and let the System generate a minor micro-adjustment to her breathing rhythm. Since she had generously overpaid him 40,000 W yesterday, Kirish wasn't going to be a stingy mentor.
With Priyanka's assessment concluded, Kirish slowly turned his body, his calm, piercing gaze locking squarely onto the skeptical teenager.
"Your turn, Kevin," Kirish said, his voice dropping into a commanding register. "Step up to the platform and show me your Hundred Punches of Hell."
[The background music swells, heavy and pulsating with anticipation]
[To Be Continued...]
Story Tracker:
Kirish's Current Wealth: 40,000 W (60,000 W away from completing the System Mission).
Current Objective: Reverse-engineer Kevin's fist technique to extract maximum profit and secure a secondary client.
Days until White Feather College Enrollment: 3 Days.