I lunged forward, every muscle screaming in protest, but I felt no pain thanks to Pain Resistance. Hand-to-Hand Combat guided my strikes as I threw everything I had at Hugo—Jab, Hook, combinations flowing into each other with desperate intensity.
Hugo blocked most of it, but not all. A few hits landed—glancing blows against his ribs, his shoulder. Nothing devastating, but proof that I could touch him. That he wasn't completely untouchable.
"Better," Hugo said, almost conversationally, as he deflected another strike. "You're angry now. Focused. Using that rage instead of drowning in it."
I didn't respond. Just kept attacking. Precision Strikes targeting weak points. Observation helping me read his defensive patterns.
But it wasn't enough. For every hit I landed, he landed three. His movements were too efficient, too perfect. Like fighting a machine that had calculated every possible response. At the rate that we were fighting...I'd lose in less than 10 minutes.
A palm strike caught my already-bruised ribs and I stumbled back, Pain Resistance keeping me from doubling over despite the injury.
Then Anthony was there. He had recovered enough to move and he had a tactical knife in hand. He came in from Hugo's blind spot with professional precision.
The blade actually connected, scoring a shallow cut across Hugo's forearm.
Hugo's eyes widened slightly—surprise, maybe? Or acknowledgment?
His elbow caught Anthony's knife hand, forcing it wide. His knee drove into Anthony's stomach. A spinning backfist sent my bodyguard crashing into the wall again, this time staying down.
"Well what can you expect from an A-Rank spy," Hugo observed, examining the cut on his arm with clinical interest. "They are all competent no doubt. Well-trained even. But ultimately insufficient."
I charged again while he was distracted. Got inside his guard. Attempted a grapple using Muscle Reinforcement to power through.
Hugo reversed it instantly, throwing me over his hip with perfect judo form. I hit the ground hard, the impact driving air from my lungs despite Superior Endurance.
This wasn't working. I was fighting at my limit and still losing. Still being dominated by someone who looked like they were barely trying.
I needed an edge. Something to shift the balance.
I reached inward, toward my System, toward the job acquisition mechanism. I'd choose something combat-focused. Something that would give me the skills I needed to match him.
[PREREQUISITE NOT MET: LUMBERJACK JOB RANK B - REQUIRES RANK A FOR NEW JOB ACQUISITION]
My blood ran cold. Lumberjack. I'd never actually gotten it to A-Rank. I'd been so focused on the jobs in my portfolios, so busy with Brazil and the surgery and everything else, that I'd never finished grinding that last job.
Hugo's foot connected with my side, rolling me across the floor.
"What's wrong, Reynard?" he asked, stalking forward. "Realizing your limitations?"
I pushed myself up, mind racing. I couldn't get a new job. The System wouldn't let me. I was stuck with what I had and it wasn't enough...Hold on I still have a Portfolio Upgrade To—
[EMERGENCY JOB PROTOCOL ACTIVATED]
[THREAT LEVEL: CRITICAL] The source of this content ɪs novel✶fire.net
[OVERRIDE AUTHORIZATION: GRANTED]
The System interface exploded in front of me, larger and more detailed than I'd ever seen it. Before I could think of using my token, one of my System's recent rewards kicked in. What I saw was downright crazy. It was a massive list of jobs scrolling past faster than I could read—thousands of them, maybe tens of thousands. Every possible job the System recognized.
Hugo's eyes narrowed likely noticing something. "What are you doing?"
I was already scanning the list with rapid pace, searching for something—anything—that would help.
Close-quarters combat specialist. Everything I needed right now.
I selected it mentally, and the System responded instantly.
[NEW JOB ACQUIRED: MMA FIGHTER - RANK B]
Explosive Footwork (Lv. 6) – Uses rapid directional movement to control distance, create angles, and evade attacks with sudden bursts of speed.Grapple Flow Control (Lv. 5) – Maintains dominance in close-range engagements, seamlessly transitioning between holds, takedowns, and escapes.Adaptive Countering (Lv. 6) – Reads opponent patterns mid-fight and adjusts tactics instantly, exploiting openings with counterattacks.
Knowledge flooded into me. Not just techniques, but instincts. The way MMA fighters moved—aggressive, versatile, constantly shifting between striking and grappling. Explosive Footwork changed how my legs felt, adding spring and direction control I hadn't possessed before. Grapple Flow Control made close-range combat feel more natural, more fluid.
Hugo struck while I was still adjusting to the new skills.
But Adaptive Countering kicked in automatically, reading his attack pattern and guiding my response. I slipped his punch and drove a knee toward his midsection.
He blocked, but had to put actual effort into it.
"Interesting," Hugo said. "Did you System just give you new skills? I didn't think you'd have something in case of emergencies."
I didn't answer. Just attacked again, using Explosive Footwork to create angles, closing distance in bursts that made me harder to track. My strikes came from different positions now, mixing boxing technique with MMA versatility.
Hugo adapted, but I was doing better. Actually making him work for his defense.
Not enough, though. Still not enough.
A combination caught me—three precise strikes that all found their targets. I stumbled back, and Hugo pressed the advantage with ruthless efficiency.
Pain Resistance meant I didn't feel the hits the way I should have, but the damage was accumulating. My body was reaching its limits.
[EMERGENCY JOB PROTOCOL: ADDITIONAL ACQUISITION AVAILABLE]
[THREAT LEVEL REMAINS: CRITICAL]
The list appeared again, and I was already searching.
Combat training. Tactical awareness. Firearm expertise that I could translate to hand-to-hand.
[NEW JOB ACQUIRED: SOLDIER - RANK A]
A-Rank. The minimum threshold I'd been given as a reward meant that no job could be under B-Rank. This is the first time my job was already at A-Rank when given to me.
Tactical Firearm Handling (Lv. 6) – Maintains precision and control with any firearm under pressure, adjusting aim based on recoil, wind, and moving targets.
Combat Movement Efficiency (Lv. 5) – Optimizes body positioning to minimize exposure while advancing, retreating, or taking cover, conserving stamina during extended engagements.
Threat Prioritization (Lv. 6) – Rapidly evaluates battlefield variables and identifies the highest-risk targets, enabling fast, decisive action in chaotic situations.
My entire tactical framework shifted. Combat Movement Efficiency changed how I positioned myself—minimizing exposure, conserving energy, moving like a soldier trained for extended engagement. Threat Prioritization made me acutely aware of Hugo's positioning, his attack vectors, the environmental factors I could exploit.
I picked up Anthony's dropped pistol from the floor, and Tactical Firearm Handling made it feel like an extension of my hand.
I fired three times—center mass, exactly where training dictated.
Hugo moved between the bullets with impossible precision, but the shots forced him to break his offensive momentum.
Combat Movement Efficiency guided my advance as I closed distance again, using cover from the office furniture. Grapple Flow Control and Adaptive Countering working together to create combinations Hugo actually had to think about defending.
I was doing better. Much better.
But I can't believe that I'm still losing.
Hugo caught my wrist mid-strike and twisted, forcing me off-balance. His counterattack came faster than I could fully process—a series of strikes that exploited the injuries Anthony and I had already accumulated.
Wait...I'm already at A-Rank...I can just get a new job right here and right now.
I look back at the list quickly going to hundreds of jobs in a second.
Personal protection specialist. Defensive positioning. Someone trained to take hits and keep their principal alive.
[NEW JOB ACQUIRED: BODYGUARD - RANK B]
Protective Positioning (Lv. 6) – Instinctively places the protected individual in the safest position, using terrain, crowds, and obstacles to reduce exposure to threats.
Threat Interception (Lv. 5) – Reacts instantly to incoming danger—physical or environmental—by blocking, deflecting, or removing the threat before it reaches the target.
Advance Path Control (Lv. 6) – Scans ahead to evaluate routes, exits, chokepoints, and risk zones, ensuring the protected individual always moves through the safest possible path.
Defensive Positioning changed everything. Suddenly I understood how to position myself to minimize damage, how to use my body as a shield, how to create defensive zones that forced attackers to commit to dangerous angles.
Threat Interception let me read Hugo's attacks earlier, gave me split-second warnings that made all the difference and Protective Combat specialized in fighting while injured, while protecting something valuable—in this case, myself.
I engaged again, and this time Hugo's expression shifted.
Not worried. Not afraid. But... focused. Actually trying now.
His attacks came faster, harder, more complex. Combinations I'd seen him use casually before now delivered with genuine intent.
I matched him. Not perfectly since I was still injured, still operating at a disadvantage, but I was keeping pace. Defensive Positioning let me weather his assault. Adaptive Countering found gaps in his offense. Explosive Footwork kept me mobile despite the damage.
We traded blows across the office. I destroyed his coffee cup with a misplaced kick. He sent me through his desk with a perfectly executed throw. I caught him with a solid hook that actually made him step back.
We were somewhat evenly matched now, though my injuries meant I was still slightly losing ground.
Hugo reset his stance, studying me with those cold, analytical eyes. "Impressive," he said, and for once he sounded like he actually meant it. "You're using the job title I gave you remarkably well. From what I can tell you got three new jobs in the span of minutes, all integrated flawlessly into your combat style. Most people would be overwhelmed by the cognitive load alone."
He smiled then, that superior expression returning. "You've learned well, son. I'm almost proud."
I stood across from him, bleeding from multiple cuts, ribs definitely cracked now, breathing hard despite Superior Endurance.
But I was smiling too.
"You've seen nothing," I said, my voice steady despite everything. "This is what real mastery looks like."
I reached deep into my System. Past the jobs. Past the skills. To my most powerful and most risky ability.
Full Profession Sync.
I activated it mentally, and felt everything change.