The Over-Break System

***AND SO IT BEGINS, EVERYONE, AS PROMISED, DOUBLE DAILY CHAPTERS FOR THE NEXT 60 CHAPTERS aka 30 Days! Slight change to the schedule, I will be posting them at 7AM CST, and 7PM CST***

‘This isn’t so bad; not every place can be like the HBTC; oh well, I guess I should get in a short workout before showering and unloading my stuff into my bedroom.’ Rolling his neck to the side and releasing the built-up tension in the form of a loud pop. Cynrik began tensing the muscles in both his arms and legs slightly before stripping off his shirt, tossing it onto one of the workout benches, and revealing a physique that a 12-year-old shouldn’t be close to.

Mixing together the benefits of a stat-based system along with his Æsir bloodline and years of hard physical training, Cynrik’s body was an athletic work of art.

The slight and rapid flexing of his arms and abdomen revealed well-chiseled six-pack abs and an overall impressive muscle tone never shown to the world since Cynrik felt more comfortable in his leather armor or hoodies.

‘Knowing the basics of the Futae no Kiwami simply isn’t enough; I feel like I am missing something critical before I can fully bring the skill to light. I just have to figure out what this essential bit of info is, and I can move the skill out of my imagination and into reality.’ So Cynrik thought to himself as he examined his left fist.

Dropping into his standard south-paw stance, Cynrik chambered his left wrist against his hip and closed his eyes, picturing the movement of each tendon, fiber, and bone being used.

‘The Futae no Kiwami is a technique that can be used with the whole body; this, in effect, means that so long as I can figure out a way to break an object’s innate resistance, I can apply it to everything from a simple headbutt, to a knee or elbow strike.

Without warning or any sign of the previous movement, Cynrik violently punched out from his hip and executed his mock attack for the first time entirely. To date, he had only been working out the timing of the first and second impact, but now, he was fully extending the punch and going through the motions from start to finish.

Fwoosh, Fwoosh Fwoosh

Cynrik repeated the movement of throwing his fastest punch while executing the two-tap strike to no avail.

But he didn’t get deterred by the lack of completing each attack properly. Instead, when Cynrik deemed the execution of the strike unsatisfactory, he would reset his stance, rechamber his closed fist back to his hip and start over.

‘Still, not enough; my accuracy is off by 22 degrees. In addition, the downward angle I need to calculate is constantly changing with each punch.’ Cynrik analyzed each punch he threw and would make minor changes each time; however, he still wasn’t happy with the results.

‘Tobs, any ideas?’ Feeling at a loss for why he couldn’t perfect the technique, Cynrik turned to the AI living rent-free in his head.

-Sure, here’s a good one, don’t try replicating anime attacks based on religious points of view.-

She said with extreme sarcasm, causing Cynrik to grunt unhappily.

‘How bout some real constructive help here, Tobs? You see me struggling, and the first thing you think of is bullying me; cmon now.’ Wearing a frown, Cynrik picked up the pace of his strikes.

-Using your memories and information derived from the fictional series the attack is based on, I estimate there is a 5% chance you will be able to successfully develop a usable version of the technique; called “Futae No Kiwami.”-

-I recommend that you either find a suitable way to simplify the attack so that a system-based skill can be generated based on repetitive successful attempts or wait until you reach Tier-2.-

-After undergoing Evolution, your body will strengthen. You will develop a more fine-tuned control over your motor skills; at that point, the chances of successfully replicating the attack will quadruple to 20%.-

‘Tsk, I was worried you’d come up with something as off-handed as “Get stronger,” at least you didn’t just hit me with a….’ Before Cynrik could finish his idea, Tobs cut him off and verbally bitch-slapped him.

-Or you could just Git Gud Scrub.-

‘Sigh, of course, you would, fucking GREAT!’ Cynrik bit his lip angrily and threw his punches with more speed and strength than before.

For several hours late into the night, the training room was filled with the muffled sounds of Cynrik punching at the air repeatedly. Until around Midnight, when Brance showed up with something to eat and forced his older brother to take a break.

Brance watched as Cynrik silently munched the ham and cheese sandwich cobbled together with what he bought from the store.

“The girls called me about an hour after we arrived to say they made it safely to their dorm. Selene seemed a bit riled up because you didn’t answer after eight missed phone calls, but when I told her you were training, she clammed up, and according to Gabby, she had taken a similar stance to you by locking herself in the training room all night.” Brance said, handing a towel to Cynrik, who had finished eating and was covered in sweat.

“Un, that’s good.” That was all Cynrik said before going back to the center of the room and taking up the same position he hadn’t left for hours.

Hopping back to his feet and collecting the used paper plate and napkins Cynrik had placed on the floor, Brance shook his head and walked away.

It was evident to Brance that Cynrik was deep in theory crafting, and nothing he said to his older brother would get through until he had achieved what he set out to do.

Closing the door to the soundproof room, Brance binned the garbage and went to his bedroom, where he had already unpacked all the things brought from home and purchased during the day.

Quirking a slightly pleased smile, Brance looked around the decent-sized 14×14 square foot bedroom, the largest he had received to date.

He chose the one directly across from Benny’s and diagonally across from the bedroom nearest to the training room, which he had figured Cynrik would choose.

Although the dorm was fully furnished, the interior of the bedroom only held a simple full-sized bed, desk, and a wall-length dresser. However, it had a walk-in closet and even came with a full-sized bathroom for his use only, with a full bathtub, a shower, and a toilet.

Brance had decided to decorate the room with his own finishing touches, such as a few posters and a bookshelf brought over from the Pinhurst Mansion. Lastly, to top it all off, was his bedding from back home in Lawton. While it may seem weird, Brance was very sentimental and brought along the bright silver comforter, sheets, and pillowcases Cinyah had gifted him for his 10th birthday.

Secretly, he had even packed the red and black matching bedding Cynrik had received and made his older brother’s bed so that he, too, would have something from home when it came time to relax for the night.

Overall, Brance was actually very happy with the dorm and couldn’t ask for a better place to live; it just needed a little something to make it a true home away from home.

With that thought at the forefront of his mind, Brance sat down at his desk and began jotting down a list of items he felt the dorm needed, such as throw rugs, coasters for drinks in the living room, placemats for the kitchen table, a matching silverware, plates, and cups, set and so on. In addition, everyone had brought along their own bathroom items, such as towels and bathrobes, so it was unnecessary to purchase more.

After completing the list, Brance tidied up his desk and picked a textbook titled “Introduction to Affinities and Their Uses” off the bookshelf and placed it on a small end table lit by the only source of light in the bedroom currently, a small reading lamp.

With the book resting beside his bed, Brance quickly changed into some pajamas and hopped in bed before calling Cinyah, who had been waiting for a goodnight call.

Brance had already called her shortly after entering the dorm, so this was their third phone call together. The first being when they arrived, the second was around dinner time, to double-check everything was fine, everyone was settling in properly, and now one before bed.

However, he didn’t mind, this was his mother, and Brance knew it was a lot to handle for Cinyah, especially after mysteriously disappearing for over a year inside an Egress; thus, he could only oblige her antics and give her a call before bed.

Upon dialing her number in the phone app on his Watcet, the ring tone only went off twice before a holographic display of Cinyah laying in bed beside an already passed-out Rikard came into view.

“Hello Baby, I see you are already getting in bed; OH MY GOSH, IS THAT THE BEDDING I GOT YOU FOR YOUR TENTH BIRTHDAY!” When Cinyah picked up the call, she was a bit sleepy, but after seeing how Brance was all tucked in under the special bedding she bought him, her heart melted, and Cinyah broke into a wide and happy smile.

“Sure is Mom; I brought Big Brother’s too to make these rooms our home away from home. I figured you wouldn’t mind too much. So when we swung by the house in Lawton, I grabbed them and packed them all away into my inventory just for this occasion.” Smiling warmly at his mother, Brance then proceeded to show off his newly decorated bedroom, much to Cinyah’s joy.

“It looks great, honey; I am glad you brought some stuff from home, including your beloved bookcase. I spoke with Gabby earlier, and she decorated her room the same way you did. But, of course, Benny is being his typical self, and even though his decorating skills are lacking, it still turned out ok; you be sure to watch over him.”

“Is your brother still training? I haven’t gotten to talk to him tonight?” Tilting her head to the side in thought, Cinyah asked.

“Mhm, he has been working on some kind of new punch since we left the Selections, and now that he’s got a full-sized training room, you know what to expect. He is doing his typical shirt-off prance around thingy.”

Shrugging his shoulders in defeat, Brance promised he made Cynrik eat dinner and would have him call her in the morning before saying his goodnights and hanging up the call.

Looking at the door leading to the hallway where the training room was located, Brance sighed quietly and picked up his new textbook to get some reading in before bed.

-This series is exclusively published on Web if you are reading it anywhere else…You Wrong, Fam. P.S. Check out the discord, https://discord.gg/dcxKNJEMwg