With a longing so intense it felt like it could ignite the air around me, I spoke in a voice filled with anticipation:
"Superpower… reveal!"
In an instant, a small golden card shimmered into existence before me, floating in the air with a captivating glow—like a fragment of a frozen sun suspended in space.
I reached out and touched its smooth, cold surface, and at that very moment, glowing lines of information poured before my eyes, neatly arranged within a transparent window.
[Category: D]
[Ability: Karate]
[Description: You can use all karate techniques with ease, as if you had trained in them since childhood.]
[Usage:
Strikes (Tsuki):
Direct punches using the fist, such as the straight punch (Choku Tsuki).
Used to target weak points in the opponent's body, such as the head or chest.
Read more...]
[Conditions: None, due to the user's weakness.]
I stared at the words for a moment, my eyes moving hesitantly between the lines.
Category: D…
I exhaled slowly, not too surprised. "Well… at least it's better than the weak F-rank," I thought.
But what truly caught my attention was the name of the ability.
Karate?!
I paused at the word, staring at it for a long moment, as if trying to pull its meaning from my memory.
Is it the same martial art I knew in my previous world?
Or just a coincidence of names in this strange world full of wonders?
It didn't take long to find the answer in the description:
"You can use all karate techniques with ease…"
A mixture of surprise and strange relief appeared on my face.
So it really is the karate I know!
But my brief joy quickly faded as I thought more deeply about it: compared to others' abilities—those who summon storms or unleash fire from their fingertips—karate…
might seem trivial, even useless against certain opponents.
How am I supposed to fight a wind user with karate?!
Punch them until they get tired?
I let out a deep sigh and tried to push away the negative thoughts.
I kept reading.
When I reached the line "Read more…," my curiosity was piqued.
I tapped it with my finger, and suddenly a new page opened before me, filled with glowing lines—far more than I had expected.
[Usage:
1- Strikes (Tsuki): Direct punches such as the straight punch (Choku Tsuki), used to target weak points like the face or chest.
2- Kicks (Geri): Various types of kicks, such as the front kick (Mae Geri) and side kick (Yoko Geri), used to create distance or deal damage from afar.
3- Blocks (Uke): Defensive movements used to deflect attacks, such as the upper block (Jodan Uke) or outer block (Soto Uke).
4- Body Strikes (Atemi): Attacks using elbows, open hands, or palm strikes to shock or destabilize the opponent.
5- Basics (Kihon): Fundamental exercises for movement and positioning, used to build posture and balance.
6- Kata: A sequence of structured movements representing an imaginary fight, used to develop coordination, focus, and reflexes.]
I blinked several times as I read.
What is all this?!
Does the status window think I'm some kind of combat encyclopedia?
I hadn't expected karate to contain so many unfamiliar terms.
I knew punches and kicks, sure… but "blocks"? "kata"? These were words I had never heard before.
…Alright, I'll try to understand after I finish reading the card.
I continued reading, anticipation weighing heavily on my eyes, until I reached a line that stirred a powerful wave of anger and sadness within me:
"There are no conditions… due to the user's weakness."
The words caught in my throat like a sharp thorn—like an unexpected slap across my face.
For a moment, I felt my breath tighten, then I muttered hesitantly:
"I'm… weak?"
I couldn't hold myself back. I burst into a hysterical laugh that was closer to crying, then shouted with bitter sarcasm:
"You're saying I'm weak?! Haha… really?!"
But the laughter quickly turned sharp, my voice dripping with anger:
"Isn't this because of that useless unique ability you gave me?! Isn't it your fault that I'm weak?! How do you expect me, you miserable window, to become strong when I'm stuck with these pathetic skills?!"
The reply came cold and emotionless:
[User, I did not say that you are weak. The card did.]
I gasped in greater anger and shouted:
"What difference does that make?! Whether you said it or the card did—it's the same! How am I supposed to find my family with these abilities?! I never asked to come to this world… and I never asked for these skills!"
A hoarse desperation crept into my voice as I added:
"Why?! Why did you bring me here?! What's the reason?! Send me back to my world!"
At that moment, it felt as though a delayed realization struck my chest like lightning.
I lowered my head and whispered, my voice trembling:
"I just… want to see my family. I want to lie on my bed like I used to… I want to smell my home…"
The words stopped in my throat, and a heavy emptiness swallowed me whole.
After a long silence, my voice came out weak and surrendered, as if from the depths of a well:
"But… what's the point? Even if I go back, would my family be happy to see me? I was useless in my old world… and I'm useless here too… what a worthless piece of trash I am."
I swallowed the bitterness and added in a broken voice:
"Maybe they can live without me… but I can't live without them."
I lifted my head toward the floating window and said with desperate pleading:
"Please… send me back to my world."
Silence filled the air for what felt like an eternity:
[…]
Then came the response, cold as ice:
[I apologize, user, but I cannot return you to your previous world.]
I slowly closed my eyes, as if I had expected this answer all along.
It felt like the world had closed in on me, and hope was evaporating from my chest. Only one desire remained within me…
To wake up one day and find myself there, in my world, among the faces I love.
I just… want to go back to my world… is that so much to ask?
…
I took a deep breath—a heavy sigh carrying all the despair and frustration within me—then muttered in a tired voice:
"As usual… you won't answer me, will you, window?"
I pushed myself up slowly, feeling as though the ground beneath my feet had grown heavier.
But suddenly, without warning, the familiar blue light appeared before me, forming that same window I had come to both love and hate.
[Level: 1]
[Age: 20]
[Gender: Male]
[Strength: 5]
[Agility: 4]
[Intelligence: 6]
[Luck: 5]
[Wisdom: 5]
[Awareness: Unknown]
[Skills: Basic Movement Speed, Refreshing Breathing, Quick Response, Karate]
[Unique Ability: The ability to obtain a new superpower every week]
I stared at the lines slowly, as if my mind was trying to process a single detail…
Karate. It had now become one of my skills.
Despite my lingering irritation with the window, I felt the urge to ask:
"So… I can use karate now?"
[Yes, you can.]
I frowned, looking at my hands as if searching for any sign of change:
"But… how? I don't feel any different."
[It is simple. All you need to do is listen to me, and you will learn how to use it.]
I raised an eyebrow, a mix of sarcasm and curiosity:
"Listen to you? Alright… go ahead, teach me."
It responded:
[1. Straight Punch (Choku Tsuki)
Description: A simple, direct punch using the front fist.
Training method:
Stand in a stable stance (such as Zenkutsu Dachi).
Relax your shoulder, then extend your arm forward quickly while clenching your fist firmly.
Aim at a target (such as a punching bag or training cushion).
Repeat the movement while focusing on balance and breathing.]
I looked at the window, then at the cushion placed in the corner of the room, and said indifferently:
"So… I just do that?"
[Yes. Do it.]
I let out a short sigh, then stepped into the middle of the room. I positioned my feet as instructed, one in front of the other in a steady stance.
I relaxed my shoulders, feeling my breathing slow down little by little.
Then suddenly, I thrust my arm forward with force and speed, clenching my fist tightly, aiming at the cushion.
I wasn't expecting anything…
But what happened next made my eyes widen in shock:
The cushion didn't absorb the blow as I thought—it was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall with a dull thud!
My mouth fell open in disbelief as I spoke without thinking:
"I-Is that normal for karate fighters?!"
[Yes, user. That is normal for professional karate practitioners.]
One word echoed in my mind:
Professional.
I hesitated for a moment, then asked as if confirming a strange dream:
"So… does that mean I'm a… professional karate fighter?"
[Yes, you are.]
I stood there, my hands still relaxed at my sides, but inside me, something began to change.
Yes, sadness still weighed on my heart. Yes, I still couldn't return to my world…
But… there was a small spark of joy.
A faint flicker of hope dancing deep within me.
At the very least, I was no longer a clueless amateur…
I had become a professional karate fighter.
Maybe… just maybe…
This is the beginning of something different.