Time seemed to fly as the fight against Cellan Gustalam loomed closer. Being back home had made training feel different, better.
Damon felt safe and stable in the places he knew well, and his intense focus on his plans kept him sharp.
His training sessions grew faster, more intense, and relentless.
With the help of the health elixirs, Damon could recover in record time,
The exhaustion was starting to feel normal, but Damon noticed something strange, almost as if the health elixirs were working faster, their effects kicking in sooner with each use.
He didn't know if the stuff was changing his body, but he had laughed it off, thinking it was probably just because he used it too much.
The elixirs became an essential part of his regimen, boosting his motivation to get better as well as his physical recovery.
But Damon didn't stop there. He had begun to embrace a strategy that would maximize every waking moment.
He trained hard during the day, sparring, drilling, and conditioning with his gym partners and under Victor's watchful eye.
By night, instead of resting as most fighters would, he pushed himself further.
And then, after drinking a health potion, Damon would go into the Simulation and fight an exact copy of Cellan Gustalam for hours on end.
He started by sparring for an hour or two straight, watching Gustalam's moves, trying out counters, and seeing how his plans worked.
But then he'd switch the Simulation to its most grueling mode, the physical strain option.
This feature that allowed every gain and strain he experienced in the Simulation to carry over to his real body.
It felt like doubling his training load, his muscles and mind pushed beyond what should have been possible while he remained physically still on his bed.
In this way, Damon trained twice as much as anyone else, making the most of his planning.
It was both tiring and exciting to follow the schedule that included both intense real-world training and precise simulations.
Every day, Damon could feel his progress. His moves were getting faster, his counters were more accurate, and his plan was getting better.
Gustalam wasn't just going to be an opponent, he was a proving ground.
Or rather... a playing ground.
.
.
He paused, staring at the message. For a moment, he didn't know how to react. Did the system just call him out?
With a heavy sigh, he leaned back against the headboard, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Great," he muttered. He had to admit, though, the system might have had a point.
He had been using the elixirs like candy over the past week, pushing himself to the brink every single day.
He had gotten obsessed, maybe even a little addicted to the idea of training relentlessly.
A part of him was frustrated by the block; he felt like the system was punishing him for his dedication.
But it wasn't like the end of the world, it was just a week. He'd manage.
His thoughts shifted, and something clicked in his mind. The gacha wheel.
He hadn't spun it in a while. Not because he didn't want to, but because he had decided to stack his spins.
The mega spin required ten spins, and with only one spin awarded per official match, he was holding out.
Right now, he had eight spins. This upcoming fight would be his ninth, and he was already confident he'd win.
The simulation had been a game-changer for his preparations.
He felt like he had already fought Gustalam a hundred times in his mind, analyzing every weakness and fine-tuning his counters.
That confidence wasn't just bravado, it was the product of countless hours of work.
With a smirk, Damon closed the holographic screen and muttered to himself, "One more win, and I'm that much closer to a mega spin."
||UPDATE!!||
STATUS
Strength: B+
Speed: C
Stamina: C+
Endurance: B
Agility: C+
||END||